Comte
by Tess DiCorsi
Summary: "Never let anyone who has insulted you get away with it. Bide your time and strike back when you're in a position of strength—even if you no longer need to strike back." ― Stieg Larsson, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Post season eight. Established Kensi-Deeks, Nell-Eric, everyone still works at OSP in their current positions with Sam back at work. Completed August 27, 2017.
1. Sacred

**TITLE** : "Comte"  
 **AUTHOR** : Tess  
 **RATING** : T (adult language)

 **DISCLAIMER** : Not mine. Just playing with them and promise to put everything back when I'm done.

SUMMARY "Never let anyone who has insulted you get away with it. Bide your time and strike back when you're in a position of strength—even if you no longer need to strike back." ― Stieg Larsson, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

Post season eight. Established Kensi-Deeks, Nell-Eric, everyone still works at OSP in their current positions with Sam back at work.

* * *

 **Chapter One:** "Woman is a sacred; the woman one loves is holy."

Deeks was helping an old friend from the LAPD. Detective Brian Carr was the only man on Bates's squad who Deeks actually gave a damn about except for Bates and Matt Bernhart. Former military like Bates, sane unlike Bernhart, the old school and street smart Carr had little use for the politics of LAPD. He was there to do a job - just like his father did in Philly and his father's father did in Newark. Preferring competent detectives, Carr was an early ally when Deeks joined the undercover unit.

Carr was wrapping up his 25-year LAPD career. Turned down for a promotion he deserved in favor of a "college boy who was better dealing with crime stats than actual criminals," Carr was about to take his talents to corporate security but he had one last case to clear. He called Deeks to watch his back at Fedora, WeHo's latest hot spot. Deeks looked a lot more like a Fedora patron than a 55-year old former MP who was working an undercover sting.

Carr got his man, actually two men and three women, running a kickback scheme with the bar's manager. Working with four uniformed officers, the arrests made it an early night for the club but a late night for Deeks. As Deeks started to file his paperwork from an empty, borrowed desk in the Hollywood Station squad room, his phone rang.

"Deeks, it's Dan Evans," the voice on the line told him. "Sorry to call but we have a situation here. Where are you?"

Deeks knew it wasn't good - Dan Evans wouldn't call if it was. "Doing some paperwork in Hollywood. What's up, man?" Deeks asked, "And where is here?"

"I'm at your place with Agent Blye."

"My place?" Things were officially not good. Veering into bad. "What happened? Is Kensi hurt?"

"No, Agent Blye is not hurt. The two scumbags who broke into your house, however, are dead on the living room floor."

"Oh God, hold on. I'll be out of here in five minutes. You're sure she's not hurt." Deeks saved his work and started logging off the borrowed computer.

"She's fine. She told me you were working for us tonight and wanted me to promise not to call. I said I wouldn't make any promises but she had to give a statement. She's talking to Vince Reyes right now but nobody's looking at this as anything but self-defense. Deeks, who'd you guys piss off this time?"

"What do you mean?" Deeks was taking the backstairs at the precinct two at a time.

"Your dead intruders were dress in black, were wearing those 'V is for Vendetta' type masks. They both had knives - serious business knives. One had two syringes - marked male and female - and the other had plastic handcuffs and a black hood. Now it may be my years of police work talking but I think the two dead scumbags were up to no good."

"Can you put her on the phone?" Deeks was taking the steps two at a time to get to his car.

"Let her finish with Reyes. Deeks, she's doing fine ... really well when you consider what happened. Look, I'm sure NCIS is taking over the case..."

"I'm sure, too." Deeks was now running to his car.

"Well, let LAPD deal with what's here until her agency bigfoots their way into the case but as far as we can see, self-defense and honestly, she was taking out the trash."

"I'll be right home." Deeks disconnected his phone and it immediately rang again

"You got the call?" Callen asked as Deeks answered.

"Yeah, I'm on my way home, LAPD called about two minutes ago." Deeks opened his car door.

"Why would LAPD call?" Callen asked.

"The two dead guys," he answered

"What two dead guys? Look Deeks, she sold the Brentwood house last year, I need you to go to ..."

"Who sold what house?" Deeks really didn't have time for what Callen needed right now. And why wasn't Callen asking about Kensi?

"Hetty sold the Brentwood house for an apartment at the W. Who are you talking about?"

"Kensi and the two guys, now dead, who broke into our home," Deeks explained before adding "Hetty has an apartment at the W?"

"Among other real estate holdings. Hetty sent an Agent Needs Assistance Call about twenty minutes ago. You didn't get it?"

"No I didn't. I was helping an old friend on a case when I got a call from LAPD saying Kensi just shot and killed two guys who broke into our place. I'm on my way there right now."

"This isn't good. I'm contacting Eric to get a call around going to make sure everyone else is safe. Nothing happened to you tonight?"

"Just working back up for a friend and now I'm blowing off some paperwork so I can get to Kensi."

"You get Kensi. Once she's done with LAPD, the two of you should go to the W. If Hetty's not there, they have excellent security cameras in and around the place. Pull the last two weeks."

"Done. Where's Sam?"

"On his way to Hetty's place in Encino. Call me when you get to the W," Callen told him before disconnecting.

Deeks turned onto the 405 when Kensi called. "Evans said you were on your way over," she said with Monty barking in the background. "I told him not to call."

"I'm glad he did. I'm on my way. Are you OK?"

"Yeah," she sound like she was convincing herself as well as convincing him. "I tried to call before but I couldn't get a signal. I'm on the landline now."

"They didn't touch you, did they?"

"Didn't get past the living room. They tripped on the new hall rug you bought. They never got back up."

"Monty bought the hall rug after he ruined the other. He still exhibits great remorse over the end of your ratty, filthy college dorm rug." Monty may have had deep remorse, Deeks was almost thrilled it was gone. "Who's there right now?"

"LAPD is wrapping up their investigation. I gave a statement and they want me to drop by the precinct tomorrow, well, later today to review it."

"Who else is there?"

"Coroner's office just arrived to take the bodies away. Your friend Det. Evans has a pair of uniforms standing guard outside of the house and a patrol car on the street."

"Look, be careful, Kensi. Hetty sent Callen an Agent Needs Assistance Call. He and Sam are going to two of her houses. They want us to check her apartment at the W."

"Just Callen?" Kensi mused. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I. Callen's got a call around going. Do me a favor, check in with Nell and Amy. I know Eric is doing a call around but I'm playing a hunch."

"OK, what's the hunch?"

"No nonsense for me tonight despite being in a very public place where causing trouble wouldn't be all that hard. No problems at Callen's or Sam's and I haven't heard anything bad about Eric but..."

"Hetty and I are women."

"And Callen, Sam, Eric and I are not. Which is why I'm playing a hunch about people who have been in the field. Talk to Amy, then Nell."

"Call you back in five," she said before hanging up.

Following up on his hunch, Deeks took the Santa Monica exit to Nell's Rancho Park townhouse. Traveling north on Butler, he saw two men about a block away in dark clothing with something white on their heads. They were standing by an open car trunk outside Nell's. As he rolled down his window, Deeks pulled out his gun. Closing in on the silver car, one of the men slammed the trunk door closed while the other started walking to the passenger's side door. Deeks saw what was on their heads - Guy Fawkes masks.

Driving as if he planned on passing the vehicle, Deeks shot out the front tire before throwing his car into reverse. Backing up, he stopped the car and blocked the street. Both men drew their weapons. Using his car as cover, Deeks opened the door and identified himself. "LAPD, don't move."

"Open your trunk and give me the keys," ordered the man on the passenger's side of the car.

"Not going to happen," Deeks told them.

"I'll kill her," the man at the back of the car pointed this weapon at the trunk.

Deeks shot him center mass. "Since your partner made it clear there's a woman in the trunk that means I can pretty much shoot you too," Deeks said to the second man on the passenger's side of the car. "Toss your weapon to your left, lay flat on the ground."

The man did as he was told. Deeks pulled out the package of plastic cuffs he kept in his glove box and took out a pair as well as a pair of rubber gloves before made his way to his live prisoner. Picking up the man's weapon with one of the rubber gloves and putting it in his jacket, Deeks started patting the man down. Once the handcuffs were secure, Deeks asked, "You got keys to the car?"

"I want a lawyer."

"I'm sure you do." Deeks made his way to the man he shot. If he wasn't dead, he was damn close. Deeks secured the near dead man's weapon and found the car keys under his right hand and an empty hypodermic needle in his jacket pocket. "Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead," he wished as he opened the trunk

Nell. Alive and breathing and out cold, dressed in pajama bottoms and a Doctor Who tee-shirt. There were no visible signs of a struggle - the kidnappers hopefully never woke her.

Deeks apologized to the unconscious woman as he pulled the duct tape off her mouth. "Nell, can you hear me?" he asked, shaking her gently. When there was no reply, he asked the handcuffed man "What'd you give her?"

"Die in a fire."

"See the quality of people you miss working up in Ops so much," Deeks said to an unresponsive Nell. Pulling out his phone, he called in their location to police dispatch, needing two ambulances and a patrol car for his personable prisoner.

Deeks's next call was to Callen. "Is Kensi OK?"

"Didn't quite get there yet. Two guys were about to drive off with an unconscious Nell. And while she fits quite comfortably in their Town Car's trunk, I insisted they not leave. One's down and probably dead, the other is cuffed and sitting on the sidewalk."

There was a pause before Callen asked "Is Nell OK?"

"Yeah. They had duct tape on her mouth. The bad guy bleeding out had an empty hypodermic needle. I called LAPD for the guy in cuffs, ambulances for Nell and the probably dead kidnapper."

"Go to the hospital with Nell. I just left Hetty's Beverly Hills residence, she's not there and hasn't been in a few days. I'll go check the W myself."

"What about Kensi?" Deeks was fine staying with Nell but wanted Kensi someplace safe and without dead guys in the living room.

"Is LAPD with her?"

"They were when I spoke to her." Deeks heard the sirens in the background. "I can get someone to bring her to the hospital. Kensi may be a better person to talk to Nell than either you, me or Sam."

"Good idea."

"I can also get someone to get Eric."

"Eric?"

"He does sit with Nell for about the same number of hours a day you spend with Sam and I spend with Kensi."

"Good point. I'll call him. The Navy Yard is taking over the contacting of OSP staff. We're warning them to shelter in place but with what's happening, I'm not sure if that's the best idea."

"I think it is just the women on staff we need to worry about," Deeks said.

"You noticed that too."

"Hard to miss."

The ambulances pulled up with the patrol cars. "LAPD and EMS are here. Can you call Kensi and tell her to wait for my call? I'll call you when we get to the hospital," Deeks told Callen before disconnecting.

"What the hell is going on, man?" Dan Evans walked up to Deeks and shook his hand

Deeks pointed to the trunk. "Someone's decided to collect NCIS staffers."

Looking at the sleeping Nell in the trunk, Evans asked "What is she, twelve?"

"No. But if you add my IQ and your IQ maybe it equals hers."

"What happened with scumbag 2.0 number one?" Evans pointed to the now very dead kidnapper not far from them

"Threatened to fire into the trunk when I wouldn't surrender my car."

"Scumbag 2.0 number two?" Evans pointed to the now standing live kidnapper who was having real handcuffs put over his plastic cuffs.

"Needs to get lost in the system, I think. If this is another organized assault on NCIS, I don't need this guy walking down a hall and disappearing from custody."

"Like whoever stabbed your man Granger last winter?"

"I'd hardly consider Granger mine but yeah. It's been months and all I keep hearing is that investigation is ongoing."

"Drunk tank for the surviving kidnapper?" Evans suggested.

"Nah. Violent criminal with sex offender segregation," Deeks said with a smile as the EMT brought a stretcher to the Town Car's trunk

"She does look like an underage girl so your man is a pedophile until we can interview her," Evans said with a smile. "Who do I say found her? I'm figuring you want your name out of this too."

"Yeah, let's do that. My name and hers. I have a candidate."

Evans nodded and offered a name. "Bernhart?"

"Now there's your most likely policeman driving at three in the morning looking for damsels in distress who need a knight in a white, shining Ford 150 Thanks for everything tonight, man," Deeks said as he and the EMTs eased Nell onto the stretcher. "Is Kensi's name in the report about what happened in our place?"

"Two dead guys inside your residence. Yeah, your name and her name are in the report. Sorry, I can't bury that."

Deeks frowned. The EMTs secured Nell to the stretcher and started rolling her to the ambulance. Deeks handed Evans the kidnappers' weapons before he walking with the EMTs. "No problem. Thanks for your help, I owe you, man," Deeks told Evans. "Our underage victim will want to say thank you too when she's up to it."

"Take care of the teenage Jane Doe. And call Bernhart since he's now in on this," Evans said.

"Thanks man," Deeks waved to Evans. "Call me if you get anything from the surviving kidnapper.

Now jogging to the ambulance, Deeks announced, "I'm riding with her," as he flashed his badge. Watching Nell be put into the back of the ambulance, he climbed into the front passenger seat. It was a quick ride to UCLA Medical Center. Once there, Deeks gave the ER doctor as much information as he had. He also handed over the hypodermic needle as a clue to why Nell was out cold

While the doctors worked on Nell, Deeks found the probably the last bank of payphones in the City of Los Angeles and started working them. The first call was to Callen to confirm they were in the hospital. Callen told Deeks that Amy wasn't answering her phone from her extended stay apartment or her cell. Sam was swinging by.

His next call was to Kensi. "Please tell me Nell is fine," is how Kensi answered the phone. "Nobody is picking up their phones."

"Doctors are looking at her right now and I'm looking at the doctors."

"As soon as they get the other dead guy out of here, I'll come to the hospital."

"I'm going to send someone to pick you up."

"I can get there myself."

"Kensi, you just said Amy is not answering her phone, Nell's in the hospital and Hetty's missing. Humor me, humor Callen, humor Sam and everyone else who actually cares for you and let me get LAPD to bring you here."

"I'm worried about Amy," Kensi said. "We should check on her."

"Sam is going over there right now. Look, Kensi, please, wait. I'll have someone there in a few minutes," Deeks pleaded. "Please."

"Get them here fast. If they're not here in fifteen minutes, you're going to have to say please again."

"I'm working on it right now." Deeks's next call was to Matt Bernhart.

"Martin, if you're drunk and in need of a ride, they have these amazing things called taxi cabs and this remarkable service called Uber."

Deeks could hear Battlefield 5 in the background "Put the controller down. I have a situation."

"You OK?" Matt was suddenly all business.

"I'm fine. Someone's going after the NCIS female staffers."

"Kensi?"

"Two assholes made the mistake of trying to break into our place. It was their last mistake."

"I do like that woman. What do you need me to do?" The video game was suddenly silent in the background.

"I'm at the UCLA Medical Center ER with an NCIS intelligence analyst who was injured tonight. Can you get Kensi and another NCIS person for me and bring them here? The person I brought here works with the guy you need to pick up. He's in Pacific Palisades, Kensi is at home. Get her first. Eric, the other person you're picking up, probably needs Kensi as a reassuring presence."

Deeks heard Bernhart moving around his apartment. "Done and done. Wait, I'm not a reassuring presence? Martin, I'm hurt."

"You're a lunatic. And you like it."

"Yeah, I do," Matt said with some pride.

"You'll also get a bust out of this when it's over."

"I'm all for shining up the resume Send me that Eric dude's address. I know yours. I'll call Kensi in the car," Matt said before hanging up.

Deeks watched the doctors with Nell while he sent Matt Eric's info. Nell still wasn't responsive but the machines showed a strong heartbeat and her breathing looked fine. Putting it off long enough, Deeks called Eric.

"Did they hurt her?" Eric asked in agony.

"Eric, the doctors are with her now. She's out cold but her heart rate is fine. There wasn't a mark on her. I'm having someone pick you and Kensi up to bring you here. Eric, Nell's going to need you to be strong for her."

"Deeks, I..."

"Eric, she's going to be fine but she's going to need you. It took me a while to figure that out but having a friend around, even if they're just sitting and eating with you makes all the difference in the world when something bad happens."

"I can do that," Eric told him. "I can be what she needs."

"Knowing the way my friend Matthew drives, he should be there pretty quickly. Can you create an alias for Nell right now?"

"Sure, but why?"

"Hetty's missing, Kensi and Nell each had two guys try to grab them and nobody can find Amy."

"I thought she was going home tomorrow. Maybe she got an early start?"

"Her case didn't pan out. She had some paperwork to finish but that's not important. If someone is coming after the female agents in the office..."

"Nell's a sitting duck in the hospital."

"Not if she's here as Joan Nelson or something equally but not overly generic."

"Working on it right now. And Deeks, thanks."

"Let's get everyone safe and secure before I wow you with all my high level of awesomeness tonight," Deeks told him before saying goodbye. His cell phone rang, earning him a glare from and older woman at the nurse's station. He pulled out his phone and his badge. He flashed her the badge as he answered his cell. "Deeks."

"You got eyes on Nell?" Sam asked with sirens blaring behind him.

"Looking at her right now," Deeks told him truthfully. "She looks stable from here but I'm waiting to hear from the doctor. What's going on there?"

"They're putting out the fire in Amy's extended stay apartment."

"And Amy?"

"LAFD says there are human remains in the living room and things look out of place in a way they shouldn't be even in a fire."

Deeks closed his eyes and sighed. Too much death in their line of business. "Any word on Hetty?"

"G's on his way to the W. This is bad."

"What can I do?"

"Where's Kensi?"

"LAPD's picking her and Eric up and bringing them here."

"You're on security duty for Kensi and Nell until a team arrives at the hospital. I called in Admiral Chegwidden to take point on security for all female staffers. Under no circumstances is anyone to go to the office. It is offline until further notice. Do not contact anyone outside of LAPD and with LAPD, only the ones you trust. Everyone else, you tell them you're unavailable. We don't know how badly we've been breached."

"Sam, this is a coordinated..."

"No speculating until we're all in the same room. Don't trust the phones."

"How will I know the security team is legit?"

"You'll know," Sam told him as Deeks saw Kensi race into the ER with Eric half a step behind. "I gotta get off the phone. How do I contact you?"

"The security detail will have new phones for you and Kensi. Ty is loading both of your contacts and your phone will mirror your LAPD number. Surrender your current phone to the security detail."

"Done. Look, Kensi and Eric just got here, I'll fill them in."

"Watch your back and watch theirs," Sam said just before disconnecting.

Kensi made her way quickly down the hall. Poor Eric looked terrified. Matt was on his cellphone as he walked in just as Kensi got to Deeks. "You OK?" Deeks asked pulling Kensi into a hug, already knowing the answer.

"I'm fine," Kensi gave the answer he knew was coming and a strong hug back.

"Where's..." Before Eric could say Nell, Deeks positioned him in the hall so he could see the doctors with her but not interfere.

"They've been working on her since we got here," Deeks pointed to the monitors. "Her heart rate has been good. They haven't rushed any specialist in. I think she's been drugged - I gave a nurse the syringe the dead kidnapper had."

"You shot one of the kidnappers?" Eric asked, never taking his eyes off Nell.

"And the other's in custody. Sam's sending over a security team. She's safe," Deeks tried to reassure him.

"I just got off the phone with the head of security for the hospital," Matt said as he joined them.

"Please tell me you know him from your Mom's charity work and not because you had some incident here," Deeks said.

"Martin, I would never cause a scene at a hospital. And the head of security is retired LAPD. Dave Glennon."

"From the West LA precinct?"

"One and the same."

"He knew you as a teenager, didn't he?" Deeks asked.

"Maybe," Matt smiled. "My buddy Dave is calling into the nurse in charge. Your girl there is being moved to a secured area in the hospital. It's where they keep celebrities, politicians, VIPs. It is a small ward with shored up security."

"Thank you, Matthew," Deeks said his friend. Turning to Eric, he asked "Did you build an identity for Nell?"

Again, never taking his eyes off of Nell, he pulled some documents out of his hoodie. "Ginny Ryan, USC post-doc student in history. Works part-time for the LAPL's West Los Angeles branch. I'm her brother, Rick."

Kensi took the documents. "I'll get Nell/Ginny admitted."

"I'll go with you. Evans called and told me it's my bust. I probably should start waving my badge and look like I'm in charge," Matt said before walking away with Kensi.

"Callen told me Hetty's missing," Eric said.

"They're checking her different homes but she sent Callen an agent needs assistance alert but..."

"We all should have gotten that."

"I didn't. First call I got was from LAPD about Kensi."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Yes it does. LAPD knows to call me if anything happens to Kensi, you, Nell, everyone I work with at NCIS."

"No, not the LAPD calls. An agent needs assistance call goes to everyone. Even you."

Deeks frowned. "Thanks for that."

"You know what I mean. Everyone active in the field in Special Projects and everyone working in Ops should have gotten that call." Eric pulled his Surface out of his hoodie and sat inside one of the phone booths.

"What are you doing?" Deeks asked

"Every agent needs assistance call is logged for date, time and location. So nobody gets the call but Callen and Callen doesn't get a location."

"Someone wants him running around Los Angeles..."

"Running around Los Angeles while teams go after Nell, Hetty and Kensi."

"And Amy," Deeks added.

"What happened to Amy?"

"Her apartment was on fire when Sam got there. She's unaccounted for."

Eric's Surface beeped. "No agent needs assistance call has been logged. Callen's phone's..."

"Can you kill his phone from here?"

"Sure."

"Wait one second," Deeks told Eric as he pulled the tech out of the phone booth. He put a quarter in and called Callen.

"What have you got?" Callen asked.

"There's no agent needs assistance call logged from Hetty. You might be walking into a trap."

"Not quite. I'm at Hetty's place in the W. The desk attendant said she was here tonight and looking at her apartment, there was a struggle. Security just found a guy with a bullet wound in the service stairwell."

"No Hetty?"

"No, but there's video of..."

Deeks needed to stop Callen from sharing intel on the phone. "Callen, Eric thinks your phone was hacked to get that agent needs assistance call to you. You probably shouldn't be talking..."

Deeks heard the phone disconnect. He was guessing it was about to be smashed in a million pieces. "You can probably kill Callen's phone, though I'm guessing it's already dead now," Deeks told Eric.

As he stepped out of the phone booth, Deeks saw some medical staffers preparing to move Nell.

Matt was jogging down the hall as he told them, "They're transferring her to a private room. Kensi wants me to stick with our girl Ginny." Nell rolled out of the ER cubicle and started down the hall. Matt put his arm around Eric, "Come on Rick, brother of Ginny, you're with me."

Deeks made his way to the nurse's station where Kensi was finishing up Ginny Ryan's paperwork. "Matthew is with Eric and Nell. You want to tell me how you're really doing?"

"I'm fine."

"Of course you are. Want to try that again, this time telling the truth."

"I'm..." Kensi sighed. "They were in our house."

"And you took care of them."

"It's still our..."

"Refuge of refuse? Haven of haphazard? Sanctuary of strewn..."

"Stop that," she said, stifling a smile.

Mission accomplished he thought. "Amy is..."

"Sam called me on the ride over. Amy and I were going to breakfast tomorrow before she started back to San Diego. She wanted to talk to me about what she could do to get into Special Projects. She was working out of Pendleton because her father was ill."

"And he died six weeks ago. She talked to me last week. Hetty used her a couple of times in the past when they needed a female agent who wasn't you," Deeks said, not wanting to bring up Kensi's time in Afghanistan or her rehab stint. "She wanted to be more than Hetty's go to blonde girl when Anna was off with the ATF."

"Oh, look who's here," Kensi pointed to Agent Roger Carter walking in with Agent Kareem Nassir.

"Security detail," Nassir put out his hand and Deeks shook it "Glad you're safe," he said as he hugged Kensi. "You keep scaring everyone."

"I'm fine," Kensi told him. "I don't trust Carter," she whispered in Nassir's ear, "with Nell."

"Matthew will stay with Nell," Deeks said, overhearing the exchange.

"Detective," a woman in a lab coat approached Deeks.

"I'll deal with Nassir and Carter," Kensi told Deeks as she made her way down the hall.

"Kens, play nice. Don't go too far," Deeks warned.

"I can take care of myself."

"Maybe I want to take care of you," he told her before she walked away.

"What can I do for you, Doctor," Deeks saw the woman's name sewn on her coat "Miles?"

"Our lab ran some quick tests on both the hypodermic needle and a blood sample from your Jane Doe."

"Her name is Ginny Ryan. What was she given?"

"It is ketamine. Based on the blood sample, she was probably given enough to knock a man like you off your feet for a few hours. Her vitals are good, according to the attending with her, so she may be out for at least half a day."

"Thank you for rushing this. Do you think you can send your results to the LAPD crime lab?"

"They've already been sent though with Jane Doe as the patient."

"I'll take care of that. Thank you again, Dr. Miles."

"Did you arrested the guys who did this to her?" the doctor asked.

"Yes ma'am," Deeks told her.

"Good. A stronger dose and they could have killed her. People think they know what they're doing with these type of drugs. They don't."

The text alert on Deeks's phone chimed with "Room 314" as the message from Roger Carter. Deeks left the ER area and made his way to Room 314. Agent Carter was sitting in Room 314, which was a waiting room outside the children's ward. "She made you wait here, didn't she?"

"Your partner is not a forgiving person," Carter handed Deeks a new cell phone - a perfect clone to his current one Deeks gave Carter his cell, which the agent smashed on the floor, releasing some of his frustration with his situation.

"I believe she told me she had an idea about who killed her father and set her up and you wouldn't let her make a phone call," Deeks said as the two made their way to a stairwell three doors down from Room 314.

"Granger told me to hold her. I was worried you and her team members would try to help her escape."

Deeks gave a sympathetic nod. "But Kensi didn't need our help, now did she?"

"She broke my nose."

Deeks pushed the door opened to the fifth floor. "You should probably look at that more as a self-inflicted wound. Do you know what your mistake was?"

"Not handcuffing her to the chair," Carter replied.

"Being more afraid of Granger than Kensi." Deeks flashed his badge at the hospital security officer stationed at a desk to the Isolation Ward. He and Carter were waved through. "Is he one of ours or the hospitals?" Deeks asked of the uniformed guard.

"Ours. Aaron Griffin from tactical. We put him in a hospital uniform. You probably don't recognize him without his kevlar or helmet," Carter answered.

"Probably," Deeks said as they walked into room 510. Nassir and Matt were stationed on opposite sides of the room while Kensi was at the foot of Nell's bed. Eric was sitting bedside, holding Nell's hand.

"Sam called. We're meeting in thirty minutes in the auxiliary facility. Sam sent me the location on my new phone," Kensi held up her phone as she filled him in.

"I drove a car from the motor pool. Kensi has the keys," Nassir told Deeks.

"Thanks guys," Kensi told the agents in the room. "You staying, Matt?"

"Yep. This is my case. I want to see it through," Matt told her.

"We've got this," Carter told him.

"Agent Carter, based on my prior dealings with you, I believe you can use all the help you can get," Kensi said with a winning smile. "Detective Bernhart is staying. He brought Eric here, he'll bring him home."

"Besides, once I leave, I have to fill out paperwork and that's just not anything I'm interested in right now. Protecting people, yes; paperwork no."

Deeks and Kensi left the room. He recognized his janitor's uniform on Jimmy Russo, a former Marine turned NCIS tactical team member, as he lazily mopped the far end of the hall. Evan Boone was the biggest male nurse he ever saw. Made sense - former Navy medic could actual help in a medical emergency and with all the female staffers in hiding, Boone was the best choice, even if he was a computer specialist who worked with Nell every day up in Ops.

"Where's the auxiliary facility?" Deeks asked.

"Some place you'll remember," Kensi answered.

"Really, you're keeping it from me?"

"I'm driving, I don't need you whining."

"Fine, I'll hector you the entire ride about how you really are doing."

"Deeks, I'm fine," she reassured him as the got on the elevator.

"Kensi, two men broke into our home. Similar teams did this to Nell and probably Hetty and Amy. Nell's in the hospital, Hetty's missing and Amy is likely dead. You want to bullshit me on the fact that you're fine, you do that. But it is bullshit. And you know it. Especially after Ferris grabbed you last winter after his visit to our place in November."

Kensi looked down at her shoes before looking him right in the eyes. "Later. I'll talk to you about it once we have a handle on what's going on. I am fine but they were in our house and that's..."

"A violation?" Deeks was actually relieved she was talking about it in her own roundabout way. "I know some former crime scene guys who now do crime scene clean up. You want me to give them a call."

Kensi hit the alarm button on the key fob Nassir gave her. A black Highlander flashed its lights. "Good idea. Mrs. Kennedy is watching Monty. She misses him from last fall."

Deeks nodded. Sandra Kennedy couldn't do enough for him after she learned of Kensi's "car accident" last fall. Her backyard was Monty's home away from home. "Based on what's going on here, Monty may be there for a while."

"You got her that valet parking pass for the Hollywood Park Casino and the $250.00 gift card for their restaurant. She loves you almost as much as she loves Monty."

"Good. Now I can go back to worrying about you."

"Hey, I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me," she told him as they walked across the parking lot.

"I'm your partner. In all things. I love you. I worry."

-30-

 **Annoying author's notes** : I'll keep this short. Change in my schedule means while this will be updated once a week, the update day will be Wednesday not Sunday (all internet willing).

No crossover, no AU - just a regular mystery this summer.


	2. Drama

**Chapter Two:** "Now I'd like someone to tell me there is no drama in real life!"

* * *

"I nearly got blown up here," Deeks said as he and Kensi walked into the Cautator Warehouse and Loading Dock in the newly rebuilt MR Industrial Park in the Los Angeles Warehouse District. It was now the home of the Office of Special Projects auxiliary location.

"We nearly got blown up here," Kensi reminded him. "We. Sam, you and me."

"Are you going to be OK with this?" Sam asked as he appeared seemingly from nowhere. "You were the one who needed the EMT when it was over."

"I had a chunk of the door in my bicep. Cool scar I guess but yeah, I'm fine," Deeks said with a smile. They all survived and after what Janvier did to Mike Renko and Lauren Hunter during that case, it was a small win. Well, small and temporary win for Amy who was undercover as LAPD to fool Janvier. She wasn't here to reminisce. "But can someone warn me if NCIS owns that house in Calabasas where Sam and I went for a Sidorov swim or his old auto repair shop. I'd appreciate the head's up on those places as possible auxiliary locations."

As they walked up to a bank of computers and video screens, A.J. Chegwidden was waiting. Shaking Sam's hand, Chegwidden said "The first time I helped out the OSP, someone was attacking the team. Now someone is doing it again. Your team really doesn't play well with others, do you?"

"Said the man who kept trying to dump me," Kensi murmured.

"Nothing about the last few hours has been play, Admiral," Sam said.

Shaking Kensi's hand before shaking Deeks's, Chegwidden agreed. "That's for sure. Agent Blye, are you OK?"

"I'm fine, sir," Kensi told him. "How did you know about tonight?"

"Hetty asked me to fill in for Owen Granger at a joint taskforce NCIS - FBI - LAPD - ATF - ABC - 123 - Do-Re-Me event. He was great at those things largely because he'd sit there stone-faced and frighten the other agencies with his stare. I mostly pick off the grapes from the complimentary fruit platter provided at every one of these meetings and nod my head a lot. Since I was representing NCIS at the meeting, Hetty gave me a phone." AJ said, showing an NCIS issued iPhone. "Well not this phone, the phone one of your security team members tossed into an office park water fountain about a block from my hotel. Still, I was in on all the conversations. I contacted the San Diego office. They're currently handling everything that was coming into your Ops Center while your technical staffers have the office here is up and running."

"I recommend this location to Hetty. Said it had possibilities," Sam told them. "A bit more utilitarian than our usual offices but functional. After the explosion, Hetty could build it to our needs."

"Where's Callen?" Kensi asked.

"He's finishing up with LAPD at the W and should be here shortly," Chegwidden told her.

"Is Hetty officially missing?" Deeks asked.

Chegwidden nodded. "Director Vance has been advised. The FBI is technically looking for Helen Silver, widow of a movie producer and the owner of the apartment at the W. They can do all the forensic work. Mrs. Silver has been listed as Callen's aunt so Special Agent Ambrose has put the highest priority on the lab work."

"Ambrose? Highest priority?" Kensi was skeptical.

"After the Eastgate hacking scandal, Special Senior Agent Ambrose became Special Agent Ambrose so he's polishing up his reputation with other agencies, looking for a move," Sam told the group.

"Maybe he can be our FBI Liaison Officer," Deeks suggested.

"Maybe not," Sam answered.

Chegwidden regained control of the conversation. "The San Diego office is sending up two intelligence analysts, both reservists and Marine Raiders, who have a history working with Nell to take over the Mission and close everything down. That should be done before zero nine-hundred hours. They will have a tactical security team with them. All active cases are being sent down to the San Diego Office. They, obviously, have a real interest in doing whatever they can to help here."

"Has someone called Amy's family?" Kensi inquired.

"Her dad passed two months ago. She has a brother stationed in Camp Lemonnier," Sam told them.

"Camp Lemonnier?" Deeks whispered to Kensi.

"Djibouti," Kensi answered.

"Once she's positively ID'd, I'll be making the notification," Chegwidden told the group. Along with sitting in dull meetings, death notifications were another assignment he wished Granger could still handle.

"Who knew she was here?" Sam asked. "The San Diego Office, obviously."

"Amy told me she had a tip about a suspect in an assault case that's been cold for two years. She was up here chasing it down," Deeks said. "Maybe that's a place to start."

"With the tip or the case?" Kensi wondered.

"Both," Chegwidden said. "Nicole from your office is being brought here by a security team to manage the information flow with Nell out of commission. Do I need to find another tech operator? I don't see Eric Beale here."

"He's with Nell," Kensi told him.

"When can we expect him?" AJ was sympathetic.

"A buddy from LAPD is with Eric and Nell in her hospital room. Let me call and see where Eric's head is at." Deeks started fishing his phone out of his jeans pocket.

"What is LAPD's involvement in this?" Chegwidden asked.

"Well, they're working the crime scene at Kensi's and Deeks's house, checking out Nell's apartment and Hetty's place at the W," Callen told the group as he walked into the room. "They're also working with the LAFD's arson investigator on the fire at Amy's."

"Dan Evans worked what happened both at Kensi's and Nell's. We all know him. Good guy. Trustworthy," Deeks told Chegwidden. "Nell got checked into the hospital as a teenage Jane Doe and Eric turned her into a grad school student."

"And the detective with Nell and Eric has worked with NCIS in the past," Kensi added.

"Call him. See when Eric is up to getting here. Then call LAPD and get copies of whatever files they have," Chegwidden ordered.

"Tell LAPD we're taking over," Deeks assumed.

"Yes. Kensi, can you coordinate the personnel assignments with San Diego? We don't need three teams of people showing up to one lead and nobody covering another."

"Done," Kensi told Chegwidden.

"Sam, make sure everyone is in a secured location. Nobody is to show up at the Mission, the boat shed or the garage until we can guarantee traveling to those locations can be done safely and the locations themselves are secure."

"On it," Sam said.

"What about me?" Callen asked.

"Amy Brown is the wild card in this. You people were under attack a few months ago but I never heard of this poor, dead young woman until she was dead. I want whoever did this to her and I want them now. Find out about her cold case and why she got a tip just in time to be part of this. Get a list of all the cases she worked with Special Projects."

"The fact that she was included on an assault on female agents in the field..."

"...makes me think some case she worked with this team is the key." Chegwidden looked at them. "You have your assignments, I'll be coordinating with the Navy Yard. Any questions?"

"Anyone want some coffee?" Nate walked in with a three-liter coffee airpot, some paper cups and a pink pastry box. "I made sure I brought a chocolate croissant for Kensi."

"Yes please," Kensi took the pastry box, coffee and cups. "What are you doing here?"

"All hands on deck so I'm here to be useful. Admiral," Nate nodded toward Chegwidden.

"Good to see you outside of a courtroom, Nate. Work with Callen," Chegwidden ordered. "Anyone who is finished with their assignment, help Callen and Nate."

Kensi and Deeks found their way to a work table near the computer area. Sam started working the phones at one of the six ancient office desks available while Callen and Nate sat in the main computer area and started their file searches.

Deeks called Matt and after three rings, went to voice mail. "Answer your phone, Matthew." was the text he sent. The next call was Eric, whose phone also went to voice mail. "Sam, I don't have anyone picking up at the hospital." Deeks said just as his cellphone chirped. It was a Code Three at UCLA Medical Center. "Find Nassir and Carter, I just got an Emergency Call at UCLA from LAPD."

Kensi moved to the computer screens and started to pull up security video feeds from the medical center.

"You know how to do this?" Deeks asked.

"Dom showed me a little whenever we were in Ops years ago. I watch what Eric and Nell do," Kensi told him. With a sigh, she added, "I made sure I was up on all my computer training while I was rehabbing in case I never got back in the field. Nell showed me some tricks." Kensi got into the security cameras at the hospital. Her first look was at the maternity ward where the nurses were barricading the door. "Oh my God."

"Let's go," Sam announced after seeing the screen. He started walking to a weapons locker in the corner of the warehouse.

Deeks's phone rang. "It's Bernhart," he told the others. Answering, he said "Matthew, you're on speaker. What's going on there?"

"Sorry I didn't answer your call right away, I was too busy shooting assholes."

"Status of the assholes?" Callen asked.

"Following the guidance of my career mentor, feature film super-cop Roger Murtaugh, I shot them in the knees," Matt sounded rather pleased with himself. "They walked in shot your guys Carter and Nassir but hit them in their vests. They're uncomfortable but fine. Doctors are with them and the assholes."

"We need to get Nell out of there," Kensi, Callen and Nate said simultaneously.

"LAPD is on their way. The hospital is on lockdown. Nobody is going anywhere. We don't want anyone walking around a building full of drugs, sick people and other assorted civilians causing any more trouble. Who did you people piss off to get this level of fire power?" Matt asked.

"Good question," Callen said, more to himself.

"Detective Bernhart, once the lockdown is over, I want to speak to Nell's doctor," Nate said.

"Martin, who's that?" Matt asked. "Since you left the LAPD for the bright lights of NCIS you have all new friends."

"A medical person we have here. I think he wants a rundown on Nell's health and the best way to transport her."

"Well, when the shooting started, your boy Eric jumped on her. In a brotherly way, of course. He is standing guarding by the bed so whoever is coming in next will have to get past him first."

"Good for Eric," Kensi said. "Matt, are you hurt?"

"Are you kidding, bullets bounce off me."

"That's not a no, Matthew," Deeks said.

"Healthy as a horse. Not a scratch on me."

"I'm going to Nell's room," Sam announced.

"Agent Hanna," Chegwidden started.

"No, there have been two attempts to take Nell tonight. Hetty's missing, Amy's dead. We need to have someone there who can protect her," Sam argued.

"Hey!" Matt yelled over the phone. "She's still safe because LAPD kicks ass. Twice tonight detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department made sure no one took your girl. And nobody's taking her as long as I'm here."

"That's not what I meant, Bernhart. And I'm sorry," Sam said. "We have someone here who can work on her medical condition. We can keep her in a protected environment that guarantees civilians will stay safe."

Matt sighed. "Between you, me and whoever else is on the speaker, I think the hospital wouldn't mind all of us being out of their hair."

Chegwidden agreed. "Callen and Nate get some sort of medical transport and get Nell and Eric out of that room. We can move them to a safe house."

"I have a nurse in the room who wants to check on Nell. And it is a nurse I know because of a terrible misunderstanding at Dirty Laundry a few weeks back included stitches for me a broken hand for the misunderstander. Call me when you have a plan," Matt said before hanging up.

Chegwidden looked at Deeks. "You have interesting friends. Goofy but cocky is a unique combination."

"Not cocky if you can do the job," Deeks said with a smile. "What's the plan? Matthew is likely going to have to explain what happened to a number of officials."

"We can bring Nell here. Hetty's got a medical bay set up in one of the loading docks," Sam said.

The loading docks were a mess the last time Deeks was here. Well, a mess at first, then a fireball and a heap of rubble. He hoped Hetty spruced things up. "What should we do?"

"You need some sleep. Deeks put in a full day yesterday, took a quick nap before he helped out a different buddy at LAPD. He has been working this since he finished with LAPD," Kensi told Chegwidden.

"Excuse me, he is fine," Deeks told everyone.

"I need everyone going at the top of their game. We'll get Nell from the hospital, get Beale in here too. There are cots in the loading docks. Deeks, sack out there for a while. Kensi, take over the file search from Callen and Nate - they're getting Jones and Beale," Chegwidden told the assembled team. "Sam, I need you to make sure the rest of the staff found secure locations. They're going to trust you. Kensi, I also need you to keep working the phone with the San Diego office when you can. I'll work with LAPD since I was in town to do that anyway to get the files and cases sent to us."

"The usual drop spot for LAPD files is the boat shed," Deeks told him.

"Who is your boss at LAPD?" Chegwidden asked.

"Roger Bates, Lt. Roger Bates."

"I'll have his office put all the files from tonight together. You can pick them up in a few hours and tell LAPD you'll be off their radar until this is done."

Deeks thought he was mostly off LAPD's radar since 2010 but didn't share that fact.

x-x-x

It was just after ten when Nate and Callen wheeled a still unconscious Nell into the middle loading dock the facility and into a medical room Hetty had constructed. Similar to the bedrooms in the boat shed's loft, the room had a bed, medical equipment and a video camera to monitor the room's occupant. While Nate connected Nell to the heart monitor - her breathing was fine - Callen explained he sent Eric home from the hospital in a cab for a shower and a change of clothes. Deeks got a few hours of sleep - he really was on fumes from his work with LAPD. The plan was for Deeks to grab his own shower and a change of clothes after bringing in a crime scene clean-up crew to scrub the living room of his home with Kensi. After that, he planned on picking up Eric when Bates released the LAPD crime scene files reports along with lunch for all.

The San Diego office intelligence staffers set up in the boat shed. While there were concerns the facility might have been compromised, the tactical team officers at each door and a pair of snipers on the roof watching the parking lot entrance and water helped guarantee the staff inside was safe. Left unsaid was nobody wanted a repeat of the killing of Undersecretary Duggan in the parking lot.

Also unsaid was Kensi's assignment kept her tied to a work area with a growing group of armed agents and new assignments as the morning went along. If she knew she was being kept inside and safe, she certainly didn't mention it but it had become a primary concern of Nate, Callen, Sam and especially Deeks.

When a showered Deeks returned just before two, he and Eric brought a couple of pizzas, a case of Vitamin Water and a re-filled coffee airpot. The evidence from the two attempted kidnappings was on a thumb drive in Deeks's pocket

Before re-entering the industrial park, they passed Reggie Thompson, now working undercover as a rent-a-cop guard at the gate. In his security booth - bulletproof and fortified against IEDs - were monitors showing the entire perimeter of the facility. Thompson said members of the tactical team from San Diego would relieve him by four. He wanted to know what he could do after that. Deeks said he wasn't in a position to give orders but recommended the middle cot in the third loading dock - super comfy.

After the group tore through the pizza, Kensi updated the group on her work. Putting two mug shots on the screen, Kensi began "The two dead home invaders at our house," Kensi said pointing to Deeks, "are one Joseph Robert Anderson and one William Robert Parker. They're cousins - mothers are sisters Both have long records of assaults, smuggling drugs and cigarettes, gun-running. Both are suspected in several murders but witnesses were hard to find. There are some recent loan sharking concerns from the police."

"How did I never see these guys?" Deeks asked. "Long record of that kind of behavior means they'd be on Bates's radar."

"Not unless LAPD's jurisdiction includes Biloxi, Mississippi."

"Biloxi?" Callen was surprised. When Kensi said yes, he added, "Dixie Mafia? I can't imagine this has anything to do with the Navy's Gulfport base."

Kensi nodded. "There is no indication that this is Navy related. Anderson and Parker owned a scrap metal business that was likely a money laundering front until two years ago when they were bought out by a real estate developer who is putting up a casino and hotel. The land where P&A Scrap once stood sold for $2 million - a million for each - and is now a parking lot for a casino."

"Wait a minute," Deeks said. "Joseph Robert and William Robert - we're talking about cousins Joe Bob and Billy Bob from Biloxi with two mill in the bank. How did they get to LA and were they singing the "Beverly Hillbillies" theme song?"

"Anderson and Parker flew in two weeks ago. Photos on their phones have them doing the LA tourist thing. Hollywood Boulevard, Disney, Universal Studios Tour, caught a Dodgers game. Couple of late 30-something tourists hanging out and having fun." Kensi put the touristy photos on the big screen.

"When were they due to leave?" Sam asked.

"This morning. Seems the Blye-Deeks house break-in was the last stop on the Star Tours before a 9:10AM flight from LAX to Dallas and then a small puddle jumper to Biloxi." Kensi told the group.

Nate's phone rang. "I gotta take this," he told the team as he walked to the far side of the warehouse.

"The guys grabbing Nell didn't sound like they were from the South," Deeks said.

"Only if you figure that Detroit is in the southern part of Michigan," Kensi said before hitting several keys on her keyboard. On the screen appeared two different mug shots. "Michael Franklin is the survivor, David Lombard is not. Both have long criminal records, criminal associations."

"Family?"

"No, but Michael Franklin's grandfather shared a cell with David Lombard's great uncle. Both were associates but not members of the Detroit Partnership."

"Detroit Partnership?" Chegwidden asked.

"Fancy term for the Detroit mob," Eric told him.

"Oh, the things you miss in a long military career."

Kensi continued. "These two seemed to be freelancers with the mob, not known players. They'd work for anyone but mostly drug dealers and loan sharks."

"Pay for play," Sam said.

"Basically."

"Which begs a question," Callen said, "who is paying for this sort of playing?"

"Good news," Nate said as he rejoined the meeting. "The body in Amy's place wasn't Amy."

"Dental records didn't match," Deeks guessed.

"No, the body's pelvis belongs to male," Nate told the group. "Before Rose even started running the dental records she ID'd the body as a man."

"So the next question: where's Agent Brown?" Chegwidden wondered.

"The investigator told me the place was trashed, maybe she's responsible for the dead body and his partner grabbed her," Sam theorized.

"Assuming there is a partner," Eric said.

"There's a partner. Kensi had two, Nell had two and Hetty would be here if there was just the injured man in her stairwell trying to abduct her." Callen was sure.

"The injured man in Hetty's service stairwell is still in surgery. He's a John Doe right now," Kensi said. "All I have is that he's got O+ blood."

"Figure out who he is and you can probably find his partner. Same with the dead body in Amy's hotel room. These aren't random hires. Someone hired teams," Sam said.

Chegwidden nodded in agreement. "And at least two of the teams are out-of-towners. Someone found them and brought them in. That means they have financing."

Nate's phone rang again. "Excuse me," he said before walking away from the group.

"With the possible good news about Agent Brown, that leaves two questions?" Chegwidden said.

"Where is she and why is she involved?" Deeks asked.

"Exactly," the Admiral replied.

"I've looked at Amy's caseload both in San Diego and with OSP. Most of her work in San Diego is typical NCIS investigations, though she works a lot with victims of sexual abuse. She's had special training with both the FBI and the CBI. There's nothing in her cases in San Diego that jump out," Kensi explained to the group. "I spoke with her supervisor in San Diego and she does not believe any attack on Amy had to do with her work there."

"Which leaves her work here," Callen said.

Kensi handed each of the man a folder with a list of Amy's NCIS OSP cases. "Using Nell's transfer to NCIS's OSP as a starting point, I have Amy working seven cases with OSP, eight if you include her only case before Nell arrived."

"Anything of interest?" Deeks asked.

"All eight cases led to arrests. Major players in six of the cases took pleas and all are still in jail. There was no trial and Amy did not have to testify in public. Another person in custody committed other, more heinous crimes so Amy was not part of his prosecution. I've contracted the Bureau of Federal Prisons and while I'm still waiting to hear from ADX Florence on one convict, everyone else has been accounted for."

"Leaving who?" Sam asked.

"It's on the bottom of the second page. Li Jie Xu was the target in Amy's case before Nell arrived. He was a Chinese national who was financing American films with an eye toward the Chinese market."

"Chinese film market is growing by leaps and bounds," Eric said.

"Li Jie Xu wouldn't know anything about that," Kensi told him. "He was using his production company to purchase explosives and weapons to ship over to Taiwan to "foment unrest" according to the original charge."

"Original charge?" Callen asked.

"Xu was married to a political appointee in the Chinese Consulate. As soon as Xu was out of booking, the legal attaché from the consulate appeared. He announced Xu's wife was called back to Beijing and Xu went with her," Kensi explained.

Chegwidden sighed. "Extending her Diplomatic Immunity."

"I called a college friend at the CIA who worked the Chinese desk for a few years. Xu is now a minor politician in Beijing while his wife is a party official. They likely don't know who Amy was other than the computer technician from Paramount Studios who wanted to make sure Xu's computer was safe from the Conficker virus."

"That was the week of Dom's funeral." Eric remembered. "I walked her through what she had to do the night before we flew to Virginia for the burial."

"Hetty trusted Amy. I have a feeling if we didn't get Deeks back from LAPD, Amy would have been next person up," Kensi said

Callen started to speak but Nate walked back to the group. "Nell is up and is a little disoriented. Kensi, she's asking for you."

"Go," Chegwidden told Kensi. "You've done great work here. You deal with her and we'll figure out the rest."

"Sir," Eric started to object.

"Beale, sit down. You need to follow up on Kensi's work. And if Nell wants to see you, we'll figure things out at that point."

x-x-x

Nell was showering and changing in the medical bay's bathroom when Kensi entered the room. Wesley, one of the usual guards, was making the bed. Once a Marine, always a Marine, Kensi thought

"Nell was confused and a little frightened when she woke up," Wesley told Kensi. "I called Dr. Getz since they seem close. She remembers going to bed at home. Nothing else. I'll leave you two alone but I'll be outside of the room here if you need anything."

"Thanks Wesley."

As Wesley got to the door, he turned back to Kensi. "Don't take this the wrong way because I think you're one of the best agents I've seen in the field and Nell is pretty great too."

"But..."

Wesley smiled and looked down, "My Mom was a Special Ed teacher. I was brought up with three sisters. All smart, all athletes, Marybeth got a track scholarship to Tennessee. I knew at twelve Marybeth could out run me and she was nine. She probably still can even though she's an executive at FedEx. You can out shoot me, Nell and Hetty are the smartest people I ever met. Now here's your 'but' - but there was something seeing her wake up and be frightened that makes me want to find the guy Deeks didn't kill and..." Wesley just shook his head. "I guess I never thought we were all equal. I always thought my sisters, my Mom, you, Nell, Hetty - you are all better." Wesley left the room.

Kensi knew there was a reason she liked Wesley the best of the NCIS security officers assigned to OSP and it was more than just his Marine background.

Kensi sat on the edge of the bed just as Nell walked back into the room. She was dressed in a pair of black pants and a dark sweater - what Kensi knew her friend wore when she was working in the field.

"Oh hey," a startled Nell said as she towel dried her hair. "Do you know where there is some bottled water? There is a working shower but the water in the sink tasted funny when I was brushing my teeth."

"Deeks brought some."

Still walking around the room, Nell said, "Oh good I'll..."

"Nell, maybe you want to sit down for a second and talk."

"Yeah, I have some questions."

"I'll tell you want I can," Kensi said, point to the edge of the bed next to her.

Nell sat down and sighed. A slight tremor when through her body. "Where am I? I went to bed at my place last night and now I'm waking up in UCLA hospital scrubs with Wesley reading the USA Today and Nate showing up. I keep expecting to wake up at home but that doesn't seem to be happening."

"You're awake and in the medical area of the OSP's auxiliary location."

"Why?" she said in a quiet voice.

"Someone launched a coordinated attack against several people in the office."

"Several?"

"You, me, Hetty and Amy."

"Why?"

"We're working on that."

"How did I get here?"

Kensi explained what happened to Nell as Nell sat quietly and nodded. When Kensi got to the hospital attack, Nell started to shake. Kensi pulled her friend into a big hug. "You're safe. This place is a fortress and nothing is going to happen to you. The guys, me, Nate, Wesley - we're all here keeping each other safe."

"If I'm safe and you're here, what about Amy and Hetty?"

"They're both missing," Kensi told her. "We thought Amy was dead for a little while but it looks like maybe she killed one of the men sent to abduct her. There was a fire. Rose is trying to ID the body we thought was Amy."

"And Hetty?"

"Callen found a badly injured man near her apartment in the W. The hospital will send over prints once he's out of surgery."

"What about you, did someone try to hurt you?"

"Yeah. There were two men who tried to break into the house. Rose has them too."

"So Hetty and Amy were able to fight back, you won your fight and I was useless."

"No, Nell. Not useless. When you're up to it, you can work with Eric and help coordinate what we're doing here. You'll be your usual awesome self."

"It is all I can do, obviously."

"Nell, two men broke into your home, drugged you. They were pros."

"Did they send amateurs to deal with you?" Nell started to aggressively dry her hair.

"That's different."

"Yeah, you can protect yourself, Hetty and Amy can put up a fight and I can't."

"No, the only reason tonight worked for me was Deeks was out of the house."

Putting down the towel, Nell asked, "What does that have to do with anything? You're stronger alone?"

"Deeks was working," Kensi explained. "Maybe it was my accident last year and all the time we spent apart. Maybe I just like him - don't tell him that - but I miss him when he's not home. When I was rehabbing, his Mom would stay sometimes. She brought this old reclining chair from her house. Ugliest damn thing ever. Also really comfortable. I started the night reading a book in the chair but I guess I dozed off around 1AM. When they started messing with the front door, I woke up and was ready to go. If they do this two nights ago, Deeks and I are sound asleep in the bedroom. They had two syringes. One was probably to incapacitate him."

"I guess."

"Nell, all that matters is you're here. When you're up to it, come out. I think there is some left over pizza and some doughnuts. There's also a roomful of people who would happily get anything you need. Admiral Chegwidden is running point. We're going to find Hetty, we're going to find Amy and we're going to figure out what's going on. And we need you."

There was a knock on the door before it opened a crack. "Is everyone decent?" Deeks asked.

"We will be until you come in," Kensi teased.

"I'm more than decent," Deeks said pushing the door the rest of the way opened. "I'm mighty fine." He looked at Nell and smiled. "Nice to see you up and around, Nell."

"I owe you," Nell told him.

"You didn't kill me the last few times we were in the field despite your love of crossing four lanes of traffic because you know a short cut. Happy to return the favor," Deeks joked. "Nate and I are going to follow up a lead."

"I'll go." Kensi volunteered.

"No, the Admiral wants you here. Besides, I called Bernhart. We have an ID on the dead guy at Amy's hotel. Miguel Perez was an enforcer for Diego Hernandez before Diego got 127-months as a guest of the state of California. Bernhart arrested his step-brother Juan a few years back and the first guy to bail out step-bro was our dead guy Miguel."

"Another team," Kensi said.

"Maybe. We're going to check it out. Matthew is heartbroken he has to interrupt his paperwork assignments but duty calls."

"Be careful," Nell said. "Just because four women were targeted, that doesn't mean they're not interested in you guys."

"Good point. And it really is good to see you up Nell," Deeks said as he closed the door.

Turning to Nell, Kensi told her "You come out when you're ready. Eric and I will watch Deeks and his interesting mix of Nate and Matt in the field."

"I'll come with you. I think I'll feel better about myself if I'm contributing."

"You have nothing to feel badly about. You're alive and safe. Right now, that's a big win for the team."

"The only win for the team is getting Hetty and Amy back," Nell said as tossed the towel into a hamper in the bathroom and made her way out of the medical bay.

-30-

Thank you all for the kind words about chapter one. This is the nicest fandom!


	3. Useful

**Chapter Three** : "If you wish to discover the guilty person, first find out to whom the crime might be useful."

* * *

Deeks eased the Highlander off the 10 and into early rush hour traffic. Who was he kidding, 5AM to 2AM was rush hour in Los Angeles - there was no "early" rush hour.

"How are you doing?" Nate asked.

"Got a nice nap while Kensi was working. If I can figure out how to make that a lifestyle choice for us at home, I'm golden."

"Kensi at home like what, cleaning?"

"Oh, good point. We'd be up to Monty's neck in take-out containers and magazine blow-in cards."

"I wasn't talking about today," Nate explained. "How are you doing?"

"Nate, I'm driving a two-ton SUV in downtown LA. Is this the right time to put me on the couch?"

"We could pull over and I could drive."

"But then I'd have to think about my feelings," Deeks said in mock horror. With a smile, he said, "Nate, I'm fine. I've been fine for a very long time. Still going to the dentist twice a year for a good cleaning. No cavities in my teeth and the new ones I got after my brush with Russian dentistry are root canal-proof."

Nate tried another line of questioning. "How about Kensi's recovery?"

"You'd have to ask her. As a spectator, I think she kicked ass in her recovery. She told me you were quite surprised by how her whole return to work happened."

"Only Kensi Blye would get kidnapped, nearly get away, get a knife on her captor and throw Callen and Sam out of the room so you two could have a nice reunion."

With great pride, Deeks agreed. "Only Kensi Blye. And it was a nice reunion."

"But I'm interested in you Deeks."

"I'm taken. Remember, only Kensi Blye?"

"Kensi's recovery was hard on her. It also had to be hard on you."

"The couch in her room was really uncomfortable. A law school buddy who married into money had his wife go into labor after six months. The two of them spent nearly four months in the neo-natal unit. When they left with their healthy child, they replaced every rocking chair in the neo-natal unit," Deeks told Nate, turning onto W. Olympic Boulevard. "If I ever win the lottery, new couches for every room in that hospital. Even in the administrator's offices."

"That's a lovely story about your friend but not an answer to my question, Deeks."

"Kensi did all the heavy lifting. Literally. I worked, spent time with her, slept. Got up the next day and did the same."

"It's hard seeing someone you love struggle."

"It is. It was. And she had bad days. But she had great days. She had days where all her hard work made her happy and days where it frustrated the hell out of her. But she had those days. The days that were hard for me was when she under that damn helicopter and then unconscious. I can deal with her being frustrated. I can't deal with her being unresponsive. The minute she woke up, I was good."

Nate nodded her head. "What about losing Michelle?"

"That was not good."

"No. It was awful."

"We had her," Deeks said just above a whisper. "I think about that a lot. We were there. Kensi and I were twenty-feet away and dammit," Deeks said shaking his head.

"Not your fault."

"No. The people who kidnapped her - it was their fault. Khaled, his paid muscle. They killed her. But Kensi and I were there and we missed her."

"You and Kensi could be in that position. You're both involved in a dangerous career. One of you could be left behind and grieving."

"Do you think Sam would trade one minute of his time with Michelle over the years to protect him from his grief last summer? From his grief now? He'd give it all back if it kept Michelle safe but he's walking proof that the happiness he had was worth what he's going through now. If you could have years of happiness with the love of your life, would you give that back to protect yourself from pain when it ended? Not to protect who you love, to protect yourself."

Nate smiled. "I'll ask the questions."

"I'm good Nate. Kensi's good. I'm livid someone was in our house and tried to grab her but grateful she could fight back. We lost a lot of time last year while she recovered. I nearly lost her but I didn't. I nearly lost her to a psycho who wanted to kill her because of Hetty but I didn't. I'm not wasting time with that. I'm...we're embracing what we have and going with it." Deeks pointed to Matt Bernhart has he flashed the SUV's lights. "Save your head shrinking for the real head case about to get into the vehicle."

Matt opened the front door of the car and saw Nate. "Whoops, my bad," he said before slamming the door and jumping into the back of the car. And by jumping, he literally jumped into the back seat. "Who's your new NCIS buddy riding shotgun, which is my usual seat, Martin?"

"Matt Bernhart, this is Nate Getz, NCIS Operational Psychologist for the Office of Special Projects and occasional field agent. Nate, this is Matt Bernhart, LAPD Detective I and occasional wild man."

"Psst," Matt said in an exaggerated stage whisper. "This isn't some sort of intervention, is it? We're not going to some hotel ballroom where my Mom will tell me she loves me but she can't worry about me anymore because of my addiction to all things in the Marvel Universe."

"No Detective. We're going to interview a suspect you have a history with." Nate turned to look at Matt. "But if you'd like to talk about any addictions or concerns you have, I'll be happy to find some time for you. I can show you my vast Funko Toys collection. I just added a Bob Ross."

"Oh, the king of happy trees. Martin, I like this guy."

"I'm glad my LAPD and NCIS compatriots are getting along. What can you tell us about Juan Perez?"

"Muscle for Diego Hernandez. Hernandez is a small but efficient drug dealer in Vermont Vista. He moved his family out of the area a while back but still controls the drug sales in an air tight part of the neighborhood. Hires locals to deal and as muscle. Pays them in small amounts of money so they can stay on either unemployment from short term gigs they had or some sort of state assistance. The real salary goes to tuition money for siblings or kids, mortgages for houses in wives' or girlfriends' names. Miguel and Juan have a sister, Juan's bio sis, who just finished Cal State Northridge and is working in San Diego as an IT pro for their city school system."

"So she gets out of town and her brother and step-brother continue their careers in crime," Nate said.

"No different than the old-time mob. You do what you need to do and keep family out of it," Matt replied. "Besides, Miguel's career is over. Juan Perez is the dumber of the two. Gets drunk, gets into fights. Diego had enough of Juan's screw ups a couple of times in the past but Miguel was able to get Juan back in Diego's limited good graces. Diego's younger brother Julio is not one of God's brighter children. Or criminals. Diego and Miguel bonded over shared idiot brother."

"Would Diego loan out the Perez brothers in a kidnapping?"

"No, that's the problem with the Perez brothers being involved in this. When he was coming up through the ranks, someone grabbed Diego's kid sister - and by kid, I mean twelve-years old when Diego was like 20. Diego and his crew nearly burned down the town trying to find her. She was found and was fine but changed everything for him. Non-business members of his family were moved to Toluca Lake. Started paying off his guys in things like tuition money or homes out of the area. Can't see him allowing anyone to grab people for hire no matter how much the payday was."

"So the Perez brothers were freelancing," Deeks guessed.

"That won't sit well with Diego. He's loyal. Expects the same from his people. Dumb Juan is in a lot of trouble."

"That could be good for us." Nate said.

"Assuming he isn't running." Deeks added.

"Where would he go if he is running?" Nate asked.

"Anywhere but where his sister is. His parents returned to Mexico a few years ago. My money is on him returning to Mommy and Step-Daddy," Matt said. Leaning forward he pointed to a house with peeling beige siding. "That's the house."

"Blinds all closed, no lights," Deeks said.

"He had a busy night. Upsetting too. Could be sleeping it off," Nate said.

"Or could be waiting to run," Matt said. "Miguel has been ID'd to you guys. Maybe not to Diego and his crew but he has to know someone would ID Miguel eventually."

"Plan?" Nate asked.

"I'll take the back. You NCIS types can knock. Just a guess, dumb Juan tries to run and decides to exit using the back door. I'll be waiting," Matt suggested.

"I'll assume he's armed," Deeks said.

"Juan liked the big guns but Miguel never trusted him with them. Whatever Miguel usually carried likely is now in the hands of dumb Juan."

"Good to know," Nate grumbled. "Can't we ever get a criminal who is smart and not violent?"

"Smart, non-violent guys are rarely criminals," Matt said as he bounded out of the vehicle. "See out back," he waved as he ran up a neighbor's driveway.

"The pride of LAPD," Deeks joked.

"So what's the plan?"

"Knock on the door, announce ourselves and watch Juan probably run out the back door. Bernhart is right about that. They always run out the back door." Deeks looked at his phone after it chimed.

Arriving at the Perez's front door, Deeks pulled out his badge while Nate had his hand on his weapon. Ringing the doorbell and banging on the door, Deeks called "Mail, I got a package for you."

"Mail?" Nate asked.

"Change things up a bit," Deeks said. "Seems Juan has an Amazon Prime account and is a fan of online shopping. Eric found his wish list. Lots of pricey sneakers," Deeks showed Nate his phone.

The door opened, giving Deeks an opportunity to stick his foot there. "LAPD."

"Shit," Juan said as he tried to close the door.

"Don't run Juan, we just want to talk." Then arrest you for kidnapping, but Deeks kept that to himself.

Juan ran. Cutting through the messy living room and then through to the kitchen, Deeks yelled "He's coming, Matthew."

When Juan opened the backdoor, Matt Bernhart was standing there with his weapon drawn. "Shit," Juan said as he turned around. Deeks and Nate joined Juan in his kitchen with their weapons drawn.

"On your knees," Deeks ordered, gun drawn. Nate was behind Deeks, also with his weapon out.

"Shit."

"You've got a limited vocabulary, Juan," Matt said as he handcuffed Perez. "I'm sure you remember me."

Matt pulled out a kitchen chair and sat Juan down before reading him his rights. "Why are you guys here?"

"Really?" Deeks asked. "You're going to play dumb?"

"Not really playing," Matt added. Looking around Matt asked, "Do you have a bathroom?"

"Not one you can use," Juan answered.

"Well, I use the sink." Matt walked towards the sink.

"Down that hall," Juan pointed with his head. "What kind of animal are you?"

"One with a very full bladder," Matt said as he winked at Deeks. "I'll be right back fellas."

"Where were you last night?" Nate asked.

"Watching WWE on YouTube."

"You know we can check that out," Deeks said.

"Not on my laptop," Juan said. "Someone else's."

"On Miguel's?" Nate asked. "On his laptop?"

Juan's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know where Miguel is."

"I do," Matt said as he walked back into the kitchen carrying a Nike duffle bag. "He's in the morgue. Tell me, does this include his cut of the kidnapping money?" Matt pulled out a stack of $20's. "I'm putting this duffle of dollars at about $100K."

"You can't take that."

"Oh, I can. I made a wrong turn going into the bathroom - lovely towels by the way. Were they last washed around Y2K?" Matt asked.

"Y2 what?"

"Where is Amy Brown?" Nate asked.

"Who?" Juan's head was spinning.

"The woman you and your dead brother kidnapped," Matt said.

"Juan, you're in a lot of trouble. Legal trouble, Diego trouble, big trouble," Deeks told him.

"Leave Diego out of this."

"Diego is a big part of this. He is going to be well and truly pissed you're involved in not only a kidnapping but a kidnapping of a federal agent. He's going to get a lot of federal attention," Deeks promised.

"And then there's the whole kidnapping thing," Matt continued. "How old is Angelica Hernandez now, 20ish? So Diego is going to have the fed looking at him and Diego looking for you."

Juan shook his head. "She wasn't a fed. The man told us she worked at Macy's."

"First, she was a fed. An NCIS agent," Deeks said.

"Is that like CSI?" Juan asked.

"I told you, not smart," Matt sighed.

"It is a federal agency working with the Navy."

"Like the Navy SEALS. Oh shit, the Navy. The man..."

"Tell me about the man. What is his name?" Matt asked.

"He contacted Miguel. I only spoke to him once."

"Last night?" Deeks asked.

"The girl killed Miguel. I knew she didn't work at the perfume counter."

"How'd she kill him?" Nate asked.

"If I help..."

"...I'll make sure they don't give you the death penalty," Deeks said.

"She killed Miguel, I didn't," Juan said. "Besides, nobody in California gets the death penalty."

"If the person who has Federal Agent Brown kills her, you're a part of that crime. You'll get the needle in a federal prison in lovely Terre Haute, Indiana as an accessory to the kidnapping and murder of a federal agent. Death penalty crime," Deeks advised.

"Shit."

"You keep saying that. Start digging out of it. Walk me through what happened last night," Matt said.

"Miguel wants...wanted to leave Diego. Diego doesn't mind people leaving. Always someone willing to move up and if you want out, he'd rather you leave with his blessing than sell him out to the cops to get a new life."

"Forward thinking business man," Nate said.

"Yeah," Juan shook his head thoughtfully. "He's a pretty good boss."

"Except for the drug dealing, addicting the kids in the neighborhood, ruining families. He's a prince," Matt said.

"Yeah, well."

"So you were thinking of leaving," Deeks started to lead his prisoner.

"Yeah. But we ain't got no money."

"Yeah, I'm guessing financial planning isn't your strong suit," Matt said.

"We wanted to go to Rosarito. Mom and Dad are there. They have a food stand on the beach. They do really well. We'd go down there and start over."

No, Deeks thought to himself, you'd go down there and sell drugs near the food stand. "So you're looking for extra funds."

"Miguel makes it known that we're looking for work and Diego is OK with that."

"He wouldn't be OK with the kidnapping though."

"No, but we weren't going to tell him. And we didn't see it as a real kidnapping. We were told that the Macy's girl had a boyfriend who needed to be taught a lesson. We never thought... I mean I had a gun."

"You may want to shut up - you're confessing to kidnapping a federal agent with a gun," Deeks said.

"I'm trying to help. And besides, Miguel had a knife. And she got it from him and killed him with it. Stabbed him right in the side of the neck. He started shooting blood all over the room."

Good for Amy, Deeks thought. "Did you hurt her?"

"No, I don't hurt women."

"Unless they owe Diego money," Matt said.

"No. Diego has other guys who do that. Miguel and I like women."

"I'm sure. So Agent Brown stabs Miguel. How did you survive all this?" Nate was genuinely curious. Juan didn't seem to be someone to make decisions on his own.

"I pull out my gun. She got real obedient after that."

"Obedient. You want to go there?" Matt was shaking his head.

"Well, I told her to put her hands out and the guy..."

"The one who arranged all this."

"Yeah, the guy, he gave us tie zips handcuffs."

"Zip-ties," Deeks corrected Juan.

"Yeah, those. I did what we were going to do."

"What was Miguel doing through all this?" Nate asked.

"He wasn't moving."

"Of course not." Nate sighed. "Then what?"

"I did what Miguel said was the plan. I put the zip thingies on her wrists, took a towel from the bathroom and put it over the zip things so nobody would see them. I know famous people use a coat or a jacket to hide their handcuffs."

"How fashion forward of you. Then what?" Deeks said.

"I walked her to Miguel's car and put her in the trunk. Miguel had a pillowcase in the trunk so I put it over her head."

"What a prince," Matt murmured.

"Nobody was supposed to get hurt. She's the one who killed Miguel."

Nate bent down to look eye to eye with Juan. "Right, and by nobody getting hurt, you obviously consider a kidnapping a fed an act of kindness. So, Agent Brown is in the trunk of your car. Did her apartment spontaneously combust?"

"No. Miguel told me when we got that job that there would be 100% tolerance for mistakes. Anyone who screws up wasn't getting paid and was in big trouble."

"That would be zero percent tolerance, not 100 but please, go on." Deeks said.

"The fire would give me enough time to get away with the Macy's girl."

"Special Agent Brown," Nate corrected.

"I did this thinking she worked at Macy's."

"Still kidnapping," Matt reminded Juan.

"Yeah. So Special Agent Brown is in your trunk and you set her hotel room on fire," Deeks was trying to get Juan to finish.

"Yeah. Hairspray on the curtains, hand sanitizer on the bed."

"You've done this before," Nate noted.

"No comment."

Matt slapped Juan in the back of the head. "We're not the press. Now where did you take Agent Brown?"

"I met a guy outside on laundromat on Sunset by Innes."

"What time?" Deeks asked. He would have Eric check traffic cameras in the area.

"Around midnight."

"Did he pick the spot or did you?" Nate asked.

"Or Miguel," Matt suggested. "I'm guessing after picking what you've had for dinner, the decision making aspect of your day was over."

"The guy did. He sent a worker with a van."

"Do you remember the license plate?"

"No, why would I? I got our money and got away from there."

"Our money? Yours and the guy you set on fire in a hotel. A hotel that had other guests and potential arson victims," Nate said.

"That's what they got sprinklers and smoke alarms for."

"What a prince," Matt repeated.

"Describe the man who took custody of Agent Brown," Deeks said.

"She's in custody?"

"Badly phrased, my fault. Describe the man who took Agent Brown from you."

"Normal size guy, old."

"Normal size?"

"Yeah, like six foot. In good shape but not jacked."

"Old?"

"He had some grey hair."

"White? Asian? Hispanic? African American?" Nate asked.

"White guy. Thought he was better than me and Miguel."

"Can't understand why he had that opinion," Deeks said. "Any recognizable accent? Did he sound like he was from LA or the South or New York?"

"The guy yesterday sounded like he was from here. Sounded like you guys. The other guy had an accent."

"What other guy?"

"The guy who set up the deal. The guy who hired Miguel and me. Miguel did the deal with him and could barely understand the guy."

"I'm guessing he didn't mention the man's accent or even his name," Deeks said.

"Miguel called him Alexander. I saw him once but..."

"What did he look like?"

"Normal size, old."

"That's pretty much your description for everyone," Matt noted.

"If I sat you down with a sketch artist, could you describe these men in more specific terms than normal sized?" Nate asked.

"What do I get out of it?"

Deeks looked right at Juan. "I don't tell Diego Hernandez that you were involved in the kidnapping of a federal agent and if I do, I will now bring the ICE, DEA, FBI, IRS and any other alphabet agent I can find after him and anyone near him. I will make sure his cars and the cars of all his family members are towed if there is one outstanding parking ticket and just a guess - Diego has a ticket or two."

"Shit." Juan said. "This isn't my fault."

"Shut up," Matt ordered.

"Where are we going to take him?" Nate asked pulling Deeks aside. "After what happened to Granger, I'm not happy with the idea of him going to county."

"Call Sam. He's friends with the guy who arrested him in the mole investigation."

"That's a very Sam thing."

"Yeah, the guy felt bad. Sanchez, I think is his name. We can bring Dumber of 'Dumb and Dumber' in there and stash him. DEA should have a sketch artist."

"Can you take off the handcuffs?" Juan whined.

"As soon as I know Agent Brown's cuffs are off. How's that work for you?" Nate was annoyed.

"Good answer," Matt said walking over to Deeks and Nate. "What's the plan, boys?"

"We're taking him to the DEA. I'd like to get back to Kensi."

"I can go with your shrink friend here and then you can get back to America's most awesome NCIS agent - sorry Doc."

"No need to apologize. I know my place on the awesome NCIS agent pecking order."

Matt pulled Juan out of his chair, tossing the duffle bag to Nate. "Come on Juan, we're off to see the wizard."

"Who is that?"

"Really?" All three men said.

Nate left the house first with Deeks and Matt walking their prisoner to the Highlander. As they approached their vehicle, an older Honda started racing down the street. "Get down!" Matt yelled as the Honda's windows rolled down and the driver and back seat passenger started shooting.

As the four men hit the ground behind their SUV, both Deeks and Matt pulled out their weapons. "Watch him," Deeks yelled to Nate as he and Matt moved to the front of the Toyota. Both popped up and returned fire. The Honda raced off.

"That was fun," Matt said looking at his now dirty shirt. "You lead the most exciting life."

"I have a California plate 4JNZ88 something. Maybe a five, maybe an 'S'. And yeah, I miss the dull sometimes. "

"I certainly do," Nate said as he pulled himself off the ground.

"I think I have a problem here," Juan told the group. He was bleeding.

"Dammit," Deeks said.

"They are not going to be happy to see me back at the hospital." Matt said, shaking his head.

"He's not going to the hospital," Nate pointed to a small cut near Juan's forehead. "He hit his head when we hit the deck."

"Well, speaking of hitting, we need to hit the road, now," Matt said, looking around. "I don't want them coming back for a second round of shooting Juan."

"Call Sam," Deeks told Nate as he opened the car doors. "Matthew, you're in the back with Juan and I'm channeling the women of NCIS as I drive us to the Federal Building."

* * *

Eric walked back to the computer area after working on the temporary server in the warehouse's basement. The server needed a quick update and a security patch. He was both thrilled and a little apprehensive to see Nell behind her keyboard. "You're back with us!"

"Figured I'd be useful here since I was useless last night."

"You weren't useless, you were a..."

"Victim. I'm a trained NCIS Agent. I was useless and now I'm a victim."

Eric sat down next to her. "I don't think you should talk about Hetty that way."

"Excuse me?"

"You shouldn't talk about Hetty that way. Or Amy."

"I'm not," Nell was suddenly flustered. "I am only speaking about my situation."

"Which is likely worlds better than Hetty's or Amy's right now."

Nell stopped typing and turned to Eric. "I thought you of all people would be a little more supportive."

Eric took a deep breath. "If you want to talk to me about what happened, I'll listen and give you whatever I can. If you want to just talk about the case, I'll do that," Eric told her. moving his chair closer to hers, he added, "But if you are going to berate yourself for not being able to take on two hired pros, I'm not helping you."

"I..."

"Survived. Be the Nell Jones the team knows you to be, the Nell Jones I know you to be. You're going to be the reason we figure out where Hetty and Amy are. Stop worrying about what happened yesterday and start making something happen today."

Nell took a deep breath. "So survive and thrive."

"Survive, bring Hetty and Amy home alive and then we'll all thrive."

Nell returned to her keyboard. "You're a good man, Mr. Beale."

"Because I work with the best, Miss Jones."

"And I've been told you were my hero in the hospital."

Eric jumped to his feet and bowed. "It was my greatest honor, milady."

"Do I even want to know what this is about?" Admiral Chegwidden asked as he entered the computer area.

"I was thanking Eric for saving my life in the hospital."

"Matt Bernhart too. LAPD is a little touchy about not getting credit," Sam said as he joined the group. "Nate just called. They have the surviving suspect who grabbed Amy. Deeks, Nate and Bernhart were taking him to the Federal Building when someone took a shot at them."

"Are they OK?" Kensi asked.

"Everyone's fine. Deeks is driving; they got a pair of black and whites with them. They're good."

"Thank God," Nell whispered.

"He got a partial on the plate. Early 2010's Honda Accord, silver," Sam said as he handed Nell a slip of paper. "He also wants the traffic cams pulled from this location," Sam gave a second sheet of paper to Eric. "Nate said the kidnapper transferred Amy to whoever is running this at that location. Anything you can pull off traffic cams around midnight last night would be a big help."

"Did the suspect have anything else useful for us?" Chegwidden asked.

"Nate said the guy is not exactly a Mensa candidate. He is going to work with a sketch artist. Nate said the suspect thinks there are two men running this. One's foreign."

Nell sighed. "Bad news. The car was stolen. Reported missing this morning by the owners, a 67-year old retired high school history teacher and his 59-year old accountant wife in Anaheim."

"Walking on the wild side there," Eric joked as he started pulling traffic and security camera footage from an ever growing circle around the address Sam provided.

Chegwidden's phone rang. "I need to take this," he said before walking away from the group.

"Where are we?" Sam asked.

Kensi updated the team on her work - she was still waiting to hear from ADX Florence and working with the San Diego office with any outstanding cases Amy was working. Callen was calling some CIA contacts but nobody knew about any planned attack on NCIS. Sam had all the female NCIS staffers in safe houses or with Marshal Service members.

Chegwidden returned to the group. "You two know how to put a photo on my phone up on the big screen?" the Admiral asked Eric and Nell.

Nell took the phone, Eric attached it to the to her computer. Seconds later, the photo appeared on the main screen. It was a surveillance photo, shot at night. The time/date stamp on the photo was just three days ago. It was a Lexus with a reflective film over the license plate parked outside of a mansion.

Eric walked up to the screen with his tablet and focused on the car's driver. He started working on the lighting and focus.

"That might be near Hetty's place in Beverly Hills. The neighbor down the street has that rock wall with a the 'Beware of Dog' sign in six languages."

"Who sent you the photo?"

"Old friend," Chegwidden dodged.

Once the face in the photo started to clear, Kensi said, "Oh snap." She realized, not for the first time, that she was beginning to think a lot like Deeks.

"That's Joelle," Callen said as he walked to the screen. "She was staking out one of Hetty's homes."

-30-

Thanks again for all the wonderful feedback. So thrilled to read it!


	4. Escape

**Chapter Four** : "How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With pleasure."

* * *

"I hit that woman with an oar," Chegwidden said.

"Obviously not hard enough," Nell said.

Eric smiled and put his arm around Nell and gave her a little side-hug. "Welcome back," he whispered in her ear before turning his attention back to his tablet.

"Time to have a conversation with Joelle," Callen started to leave.

"You're not going alone," Sam said, following right behind Callen.

"I'm going too," Kensi told them.

Callen, Sam and Chegwidden all turned to Kensi and said "No."

"Is the plan to keep me here indefinitely?"

Callen, Sam and Chegwidden all said "Yes."

"It doesn't work that way, sorry. I'm going."

"Agent Blye, my first interaction with your team included your disappearance. I'm not going to relive that or subject your team to that, especially with another agent and Hetty missing."

Kensi shook her head. "I'm sorry Admiral but that wasn't my first true interaction with you. My first was you dumping me and later dumping the team."

"Well..."

"I've got you," Kensi said pointing to Callen, "you," pointing to Sam "and I'll call Deeks and have him join us. I've already kept myself safe, let's see if you guys can keep up."

Nell pulled Eric away from the big screen.

"Are you let her talk to you that way?" Chegwidden asked Callen.

"Are you gonna stop her?" Callen replied.

"I was hoping you were going to stop her," Chegwidden said.

"I'm going," Kensi said. Turning to Callen, she asked, "Do we have an address for your scheming ex?"

"Yes."

"A real one?" Kensi was surprised.

"Yes. When Hetty sent the Wonder Twins on that high tech retreat..."

"That was her special project for you," Kensi said.

Nell returned with Eric. "This is for Kensi," she told the group. She held up a little safety pin.

"There is a GPS locator in the pin. If someone was to get past Callen, Sam and Deeks," Eric started to explain.

"Not going to happen," Sam said.

"Agreed, but better safe than sorry. If all that can go wrong does go wrong with you in the field, whoever is interested in you will dump your phone and they might toss your watch but you can attach this to your jeans or something and we can track you." Eric handed her the small pin.

"Jeans makes sense," Kensi said, attaching it to the inside of the first belt loop left of her jeans's button and fly. "Now can we go?"

"Kens, before you leave. Admiral, I have a question," Nell said.

"So ask," he replied.

"How much do you trust the person who sent you the photo? Could Kensi be walking into a trap?"

"Which is a good reason for you to stay here, Kensi," Callen added.

"No it's not," Nell and Kensi said in unison.

"I just want to make sure the team is safe," Nell made her concern clear. "It's been a rough 24-hours and a rougher year. Whoever attacked the team this morning may be moving on to Callen and Sam. Whoever sent that photo to you could be after Callen and Sam and they'll wind up with Kensi as a delayed bonus," Turning to Callen, Nell added, "Callen, Joelle could have sent the photo to draw you out. What are you walking into?"

"Admiral, who sent you the photo?" Sam asked. "If Agent Blye is returning to the field..."

"Since Agent Blye is returning to the field," Kensi corrected.

"Since Agent Blye is returning to the field," Sam tried again, "it is in everyone's best interest to know where the intel comes from."

"A trusted source," Chegwidden replied.

"Really, sir," Nell pushed.

"Owen Granger is back in Los Angeles," Chegwidden told the team. "He's part of a clinical trial being run by the VA in several cities. The treatment has him living vampire hours - sleeps all day, awake at night. Not surprised to see him checking on Hetty. He's always going to protect her."

"Is he OK?" Eric asked.

"No," the Admiral shook his head. "We all know the outcome. But he believes whatever the doctors learn from this experimental course of treatment won't save him but it may save someone else and he's at peace with that."

"Is that why you're in Los Angeles, sir?" Nell asked.

"One of the reasons," the Admiral replied. After a pause he added, "The main one."

"I'll call Deeks, have him meet Callen, Sam and Kensi at Joelle's," Nell said. "Callen, is Joelle's address still on your phone?"

"It is in Joelle's case file. Hetty created it while you two were communing with nature. North Maple Drive, Beverly Hills."

The Admiral looked at Kensi. "Agent Blye, make sure you come back. I do not want to explain to Hetty why you are missing once again."

x-x-x

"I'm afraid to ask, now what?" was the way Deeks answered Nell's call. Deeks left Nate and Juan with Agent Sanchez's DEA sketch artist of choice. He was driving Matt Bernhart back to the precinct.

"We may have a lead on who is involved with the kidnappings. I've sent an address to your phone. Callen, Sam and Kensi are making their way over there now."

"Kensi?" Deeks asked. "Is that a good idea?"

"You may not want to say that in front of her," Nell warned. "She's rather adamant about returning to the field."

"I'm rather adamant that Kensi and you and the rest of staff who may be in danger are kept safe."

"I'm on board for that too," Matt said.

"Is that Detective Bernhart?" Nell asked.

"Los Angeles's finest is at your service. Is this Nell, who is Ginny the grad student with the very protective brother?"

There was a pause. "Detective, I so grateful..."

"Nothing to be grateful for, Nell/Ginny/Los Angeles taxpayer. Happy to do my job," Matt was smiling as he spoke. "Protect and serve is my personal motto as well as LAPD's."

"Well, you have a friend at NCIS if you ever need anything," Nell told Matt.

"Good to know. Hey friend, can I tag along?"

"You need to get back to the office. Paperwork, remember?" Deeks said.

"Where's the fun in that? And when did you become the captain of the unfun police? Paperwork and all that. Shame on you, Martin. I trained you better," Matt said.

"With Kensi in the field, it may not be a bad thing to have another pair of eyes on her, Deeks. Especially considering how helpful Detective Bernhart was at the hospital," Nell said.

Matt gave Deeks a playful slap. "See, I'm helpful."

"Among other things," Deeks replied. "Where are we going?"

"Joelle's house."

Deeks was surprised. "Joelle's house? Callen's Joelle?"

"One and the same."

"Do I have time to swing by to boat shed and get one of Chegwidden's oars?"

Deeks thought he heard a little chuckle from Nell. "The Admiral mentioned the oar. I said he didn't hit her hard enough with it."

"Admiral Chegwiddy? Who are you getting widdy with? Martin, you're spending far too much time with these Navy types. You need me around more to keep you grounded in your true professional home, the LAPD."

"Where is Joelle now, Nell?" Deeks asked. "And it is Chegwidden, former SEAL," he said to Matt.

"Joelle lives in Beverly Hills. The address is on your phone."

Deeks pulled his cellphone from his jacket and tossed it to Matt. "Does that address seem familiar to you?"

"Pricey area, it is Beverly Hills, but that's a little below Mom and Dad's standards," Matt replied. "Nice digs but not a mansion of note."

"Probably nicer than most LA homes though," Nell said.

"Matthew and I are on our way," Deeks said. "You doing OK, Nell?"

Nell sighed. "Getting there. Working helps. Watching Kensi get back in the field was also a step in the right direction."

Deeks was sympathetic. Coming back from his time with his brush with unlicensed Russian dentistry was tough enough. Doing that after the whole team saw him weak and helpless didn't help. "Well, have Eric call Nate over at the DEA. He's working with America's dumbest criminal on sketches of who paid for grabbing Amy. He may want to start working with them on some parameters for facial rec."

"Juan may internationally stupid," Matt added. "Don't limit his dopiness to the U.S. He's worldwide Juan."

"We still need to see who is paying for all this. Follow the money and that may lead to who has Amy and Hetty or where they are. Tell Callen and company I'm bringing Matthew as part of his extended field trip," Deeks told Nell.

"Yay!" Matt started clapping his hands.

* * *

As Deeks turned the car onto the 10, Matt asked, "Is this car wired for sound?"

"There are probably earbuds in the console but no, nobody's listening right now."

Matt opened the console and saw two cases with earbud earpieces. Pulling out his phone, he opened iTunes and opened the "Annoying" playlist. Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" started playing as Matt closed the phone into the console. "Little pitcher have big ears."

"Please tell me "Seasons of the Sun" won't play."

"We had joy, we had fun," Matt started to sing before changing the subject. "Speaking of fun, have you heard from our good friend Ellie Belly Whiting?"

"Nothing after what I told you and then your personal shark lawyer friend."

"You're a lawyer."

"And now I'm not." Deeks reminded his friend. "Bates been like Bates?"

"The man is as predictable as LA weather in June. Same every day. He's annoyed at someone on the squad, he yells his disappointment at them, defends the hell out of them behind their backs and makes sure his guys are on the right side of the law, the department and the case going to the DA. Next day, same thing."

"Honest question, do you think he's dirty?" Deeks asked.

"No. I don't know what Whiting is looking for but Bates is as honest as they come and that's not just because he called me a maniac, a crackpot, insane, screw-up, wack-job, dotty..."

"He never called you dotty."

"Maybe I just heard it that way," Matt joked. "What about you? Do you think he's dirty?"

"Maybe I am spending too much time with these military types but I can't see a man who spent years in the Army and is still in the reserves, who then moved into a career in law enforcement – I just can't see him having a side hustle that runs counter to all that."

"So that leaves Whiting and/or the rat squad and what they're up to."

"Exactly."

"Do you think she's dirty?" Matt asked.

"She got herself shot and nearly killed helping me find Kensi last winter. That's a big plus in her favor and a card she can play for a good, long time."

"But..." Matt said, dramatically.

"But I'm keeping my options opened. Of all the people I worked with in LAPD, present company excluded, John Quinn would be a bottom five choice for a dirty cop."

"My money is on her being dirty and not Bates. I did a little sniffing around."

"Matthew, you're going to get yourself into trouble. This is my problem."

"Which makes it mine."

"No it doesn't. Besides, IA is more than familiar with you."

"Which means my sniffing around, if I get caught, which I won't because I'm good at my job, is my business. Nobody is going to think I'm with you."

"You called me your only friend in the department when you got the medal for valor two years ago. I think someone may figure out we're pals."

"But they'll think I'm up to my usual nonsense. Which I am but it is really your nonsense, not mine." Matt pointed to an upcoming exit ramp. "You want to get off here. Construction ahead. So anyway, my sniffing around is general and something unique to me. Whiting has a husband who works at Bell-Hills Wealth Management."

"And you know some people who have some wealth to manage."

"Yes I do. And they have Bell-Hills managing some of it. But only some of it. Don't want to put all our eggs in one basket."

"Thank you, West Coast Dave Ramsey."

"Don't know who he is. Do know that Douglas Gabriel Whiting is a lawyer who specializes in long-term trusts and personal philanthropy that also throws off a little income to the person doing the donating."

"So he makes people money as he helps them give it away."

"Exactly. Not rare, by the way. And Dougie probably gets a cut."

"So that would explain the nice house in Santa Monica," Deeks said. "I may have done a little snooping around while Whiting was recovering."

"North of Montana is the hot neighborhood right now. But they've been there since they got married and based on the real estate records, they got a deal on the house."

"Do you know who owned the house? Client of Wealth Manager Whiting, maybe?"

"I think a holding company. Didn't catch my eye," Matt answered. "And something weird would catch my eye."

"Mail, with a stamp and everything, anything you have on Mr. Detective Whiting to me. And stop sniffing around. You don't need IA after you."

"I keep them busy. They love me."

"Let's keep them loving you for being you, not for helping me."

Matt's song changed to "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry. "You're thinking Mr. Detective Whiting is dirty?"

"Maybe. But I'm concerned about IA and not for the reasons I should be. This is the second person in IA who has decided to use me as the hammer against Bates when I don't have much leverage to fight back."

"They can't make a case against you. First, they'd have to explain the failure of their department. Steadman almost ruined them with all his past arrests demanding new trials because he was dirty. Do they want that again when the truth about Frank Boyle comes out?"

"No."

"Then there's you. IA will expose themselves by taking down a hero cop - a man who was tortured but didn't break as he stopped the sale of nuclear bombs. You're in trouble because Internal Affairs couldn't stop a cop who killed people, stole from the public and sold drugs. They'll make you and me co-heads of IA before they put that crap in front of a jury. No case."

"You're better than the defense lawyer you introduced me to," Deeks said. "I'm not worried about a court of law but IA could run me out in a departmental hearing using the nukes as a reason to keep it secret. And if I don't work for LAPD, I'm out at NCIS."

"And then no more working with the future missus."

"Something like that," Deeks answered, frowning.

"Hey, about the future missus," Matt said, changing the subject. "I'm now a legally ordained minister in the Universal Life Church where we are all children of the universe. Did you know The Rock is a fellow minister? I'm hoping to see him at a meeting or something."

"You're nuts."

"That's Minister Nuts to you," Matt said. "And since you discussed your final interaction with retired Detective Frank Boyle with me after I became a minister, any conversations are covered by clergy-penitent privilege."

"You got this all figured out, don't you?" Deeks asked. "So if Kensi and I were to wed on the beach with Monty and a few dozen of her crazy friends..."

"It would be my greatest honor."

"I'll run that by Kensi."

"Any of those Kensi crazy friends single? There are no celibacy rules at Universal Life."

x-x-x

"Joelle lives here?" Kensi said from the back seat as the black GMC Denali pulled up outside the North Maple Drive address.

"With her husband and son," Callen told her.

"I'm still amazed by that," Kensi said.

"Me too," Callen said shaking his head. "The kid is six."

"I did not see that coming," Kensi said.

"None of us did. Starting with me and Michelle," Sam said. "Michelle tracked her down through the Agency. She called Hetty with the address. Didn't trust herself with the info."

"The woman was fierce," Callen said.

"Yes she was," Sam agreed. "Where are Deeks and Bernhart?"

Kensi pointed to the Highlander as it made its way down the street. "LA's finest at 12-o'clock."

Deeks pulled up alongside the Denali. Geraldo's "Rico Suave" was playing from the Highlander. "What's the plan?" Deeks asked.

"First, take away your radio privileges," Sam replied. "What the hell is that?"

"Sorry, that's on me," Matt said, pulling his phone out of the console and turning down the volume. "How are we being heroes this afternoon?"

"No heroes, just going in to speak to a person of interest about her possible involvement in the kidnapping of NCIS personnel. A conversation we've had with this private citizen in the past," Callen said calmly.

"Five of us showing up at the front door may be a problem," Deeks said.

"LAPD could go over the neighbor's fence. Tell the neighbor some burglary crew is casing the neighborhood but super detectives Deeks and Bernhart got a cell phone signal on a suspect coming from your private citizen's/person of interest's home," Matt suggested.

"You've done this before," Kensi said.

"Grew up in this neighborhood. OK, slightly better part of this neighborhood."

"Slightly?" Deeks said.

"OK, a lot better part of this neighborhood. LAPD looking into daytime burglars is nothing new. In fact, it is expected. And doing your part of being a good neighbor is helping out two earnest, well-respected detectives stop a robbery so that crime doesn't hurt the local real estate values."

"If you can get into the house through the back door, do it. Don't set anything off," Sam said.

"On it," Deeks said, starting to roll up the window and drive down the street.

"The three of us showing up on the front door may still be a problem," Callen noted.

"Her ex, a former friend and me, someone whose kidnapping had Joelle as an accomplice after the fact. Yeah, I see problems," Sam said.

"She told me showing up here last time made me look desperate," Callen added.

"Well, desperate is what we are right now. And if she was outside of Hetty's she may be desperate too," Sam said.

"Let's go. Deeks and Bernhart are either setting off some fancy home alarm system or securing Labor Day weekend barbecue invites for half the precinct from the neighbors," Kensi said.

While Callen, Sam and Kensi made their way to Joelle's driveway, Deeks and Matt were lowering themselves from the absent neighbor's pool house roof onto a stone path to Joelle's backyard tennis court. "They have lights," Matt half whispered, pointing to the light stanchions around the tennis court's fencing. "Someone is serious about their game."

"No pool," Deeks noted.

"Do they have a kid?"

"A six-year old according to Callen."

"Would you have a pool with a six-year old?"

"Good point."

"When the kid can really swim, trade up," Matt said. "Someone serious about their tennis game would snatch this place up. Plus, much easier maintenance for the tennis court. Pools are a pain in the ass and expensive with insurance and upkeep."

"Now you've moved from Dave Ramsey to Million Dollar Broker."

"You're the guy who watches the house flipping shows."

"Who told you that?" Deeks was shocked.

"The wife to be at your 4th of July party. I joked about "Top Model" now being on basic cable and beneath her viewing standards. She got huffy and mentioned your basic cable viewing choices."

"Did you mention your affection for Skin-a-max?"

"Not basic cable," Matt said, looking at the sliding glass door off the dining room. "I can get that opened."

"B&E work?"

"My teenage home. Dad had the burglar alarm set to go on at 2AM. If you weren't in, you could sleep out on the patio," he explained as he started pulling the door's lock and handle up and down.

"You didn't like sleeping on the patio."

"I had a comfy bed and Skin-a-max in my room. There were no sensors on the sliding door near the pantry because my Mom's not so smart Yorkie never quite got the concept that there was glass in the sliding glass door." Matt said as the door popped open. "There is usually one door without sensors, especially if your person of interest here does sneaky stuff."

"I'm replacing the sliding glass door at my place when this case is over," Deeks said as he pulled his weapon. "Ready?"

"I live for this," Matt said as he walked through the door, gun drawn.

When they made their way to the front of the dining room, Deeks heard the doorbell ring. He stopped Matt and they watched Joelle walk down the stairs to answer the door. They heard a sigh before she answered.

Deeks sent a three word text message to Kensi - "in dining room".

"I told you not to come here again," an angry Joelle said to Callen. Before she could close the door, Callen had his foot blocking the move.

"We need to talk," Callen said as he pushed his way in.

"I gave you a number to call."

"But we're here already," Deeks said, walking in from the dining room.

Behind Deeks, Matt was flashing his badge. "You should look into securing that sliding door. You spend all that money lighting that tennis court a night, a simple broom handle in door frame and we're still in backyard."

"So LAPD is now doing break-ins?" Joelle said as she turned to her two uninvited guests.

"It is better work than a CIA assignment watching the children of federal agents, diplomats and military members," Sam said as he walked into the house.

"Sam," Joelle said with great sadness. "I'm so sorry about Mich..."

"You remember Kensi," Sam interrupted as he pointed to Kensi when she walked into the house. "You left her alone with your team member Ferris."

"I didn't leave her with him. He already had her. And I had my orders. He was never going to kill her. We had people looking for him. He wouldn't have killed her."

"Oh, he had a saw and plans to take from me what he thought I took from him," Kensi replied. "I cut him first."

"And then I put an end to his plans," Deeks said. "Because he was going to take her from us."

"My man," Matt said with pride.

"And the CIA is fine with what happened that day. Ferris was a problem and losing his foot made him a liability," Joelle explained. "Other than reliving the past, why are you all here?"

"Why were you outside of a home on Heather Road," Callen said, holding up a print out of Granger's photo of Joelle.

"Much nicer than this area," Matt said as an aside. "Probably fewer cheap sliding doors."

"Where did you get this photo?" Joelle demanded.

"Someone is watching the watchers," Deeks told her.

"The old man in the Ford. I knew I was made," Joelle said more to herself than the others.

"How did the old man in the Ford look?" Kensi asked.

"What? It was just an old man who I thought had a problem with his trunk popping opened. Obviously, he was taking pictures."

"Obviously," Callen took several steps toward Joelle. "Now why were you sitting outside Hetty's house in Beverly Hills?"

"I didn't know it was Hetty's house."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Want to try that again."

Joelle sighed. "We heard from an information-broker who has proven useful in the past. There was some serious money floating around for your home address," Joelle pointed to Kensi. "For Hetty's and for your intelligence analyst's – the Jones girl. A million for all of Hetty's homes, $250K for Kensi and Jones."

"I'm a bargain," Kensi said.

"Priceless to me," Deeks told her. Kensi smiled her approval.

"Who was offering the money?" Callen asked.

"If I knew that, I'd have someone get that information to you. We only heard about the money and what they wanted."

"And you couldn't have told us?" Kensi asked.

"You, all of you, wouldn't have believed me. I took my chance going to Hetty's place in Beverly Hills. I was going to make my case to her. She never showed up. I had another assignment - an official one - and figured you could take care of yourselves. You usually do."

"Whoever paid that money has Hetty and a female agent."

"And I'm sorry about that. I only heard about the bounties for Hetty, Kensi and Jones. Did the buyers grab Jones?"

"Classified," Sam said. "Does anyone at the CIA know who would pay for this?"

"This may come as a surprise to you but your agency isn't loaded with friends in the CIA. Dead case officer from DC, the mass killing of the team here. Those people had friends and colleagues."

"Mass killing?" Kensi was outraged. "The CIA was behind the stabbing of an NCIS Assistant Director, kidnapping and leaving me to fend off a psycho, arranging for the assassination of an Undersecretary of the Department of Defense."

"And a CIA led joint task force I was a part of eventually led to Michelle being murdered," Sam said. "Special Projects isn't thrilled with Langley right now either. Tell me who put out the money for the addresses."

"Sam, I am sorry about Michelle," Joelle said sincerely. "She was a great person."

"Then honor her memory and help us."

"The money was coming from numbered accounts in Denmark," Joelle made her way to the Roche Bobois notary bookcase in the corner.

"I'd open that really carefully," Matt pointed his weapon at her. "I'd hate to ruin a, what, seven thousand dollar bookcase because you're not trustworthy. Why punish the furniture?"

Joelle sighed and opened the glass door with great care. With two fingers, she pulled a thumb drive from a Waterford Sunflower Bowl. "The money from the accounts in Denmark was funneled from accounts in Hong Kong and Singapore. It was holding companies, shell corporations and in-name only firms supplying the cash. There was nothing to trace."

"And no rumors about who would pay for this," Callen said as Joelle handed over the thumb drive.

"None," Joelle replied, looking at her watch. "My son will be home from day camp any minute now, you all have to leave."

"One more question," Callen said. "Why would you have heard about someone looking for information on my team?"

"We missed what Khaled was doing. I know you don't believe me Sam but Michelle was my friend and I liked her very much. She deserved better."

"Yes she did. With what happened last spring, with who she thought were her friends until last winter."

"The Agency is concerned NCIS would blame us for Michelle's death. As you said, the Khaled investigation started as a joint operation."

"We're not in the revenge business like you team was," Kensi told her.

"Nicky might disagree."

"Nicky?" Sam asked.

"Sabatino," Joelle said. "I heard he was helpful when Sam was looking for Khaled."

"I was looking for my dead wife's body which Khaled was going to mail to my family piece by piece."

A brief look of horror flashed across Joelle's face before she took a hard line. "You were looking for revenge and you had it. And now it looks like someone with resources is looking for revenge against your team. You may want to stop wasting your time with me and start figuring out who had the money and pull to kidnap a woman the CIA couldn't kill or drive from NCIS."

* * *

Callen and Sam agreed Bernhart would be helpful to the case since they were not only short staffed but were all starting to run on fumes. While Callen and Sam drove Kensi back to the auxiliary office, Deeks and Matt returned on their own. With his knowledge of the Beverly Hills area, Matt was able to direct Deeks around traffic issues. They arrived at the industrial park before Callen, Sam and Kensi.

Walking toward the warehouse, Matt asked, "Is this your regular super-secret clubhouse? I know the boat shed is where you meet with outsiders like me. Or who use to be like me. I'm feeling inside right now."

"This is a back-up location. Until we know how badly our locations have been breached, we're all working on back-ups."

"Still an honor to get an invite. Maybe your friends will let me play in the super cool clubhouse one day."

"The main office is not as super cool as the boat shed," Deeks said before his phone chimed.

"Good news?"

"Does 'Back to the office now' sound like good news?" Deeks asked as he opened the warehouse door. "Put your badge on - everyone is a little jumpy," Deeks said to Matt before turning to one of the security officers inside the warehouse. "He's with us," Deeks said as Matt pulled out a chain and hung his badge around his neck.

"Where are the others?" Chegwidden asked as Deeks and Matt made their way deeper into the warehouse. "And who is he?"

"Matthew Campbell Bernhart," Matt said, extending his hand, "LAPD, longtime partner in crime fighting of Martin Andrew Deeks. Protector of unconscious NCIS staffers in large metropolitan hospitals."

"And avoider of paperwork," Deeks added. "Matthew has been drafted since we need all the help we can get."

"AJ Chedwidden," the Admiral said, shaking Matt's hand. "Find the two computer whizzes. Whoever your suspect ID'd got those two going."

"Not good," Deeks said.

Deeks brought Matt to the main area where Eric and Nell were stationed. Nell was on the phone, looking really unhappy while Eric was typing furiously on his tablet.

"Ginny, Rick, sup?" Matt said.

"Not good," Eric told them.

"There is no way Stupid Juan is finished with the sketch artist at the DEA," Deeks said. "He couldn't add two and two that fast."

"No. The sketch artist was done with Juan in about five minutes. We sent photos of all suspects involved in NCIS cases with money or access to money since Nell joined the team."

"And?"

"He ID'd two," Eric said as he put two mug shots up on the large screen.

"Don't know the white guy," Matt said pointing to one suspect. Pointing to the other, he said, "I do know that guy. That's Clarence Fisk but Fisk is doing 25-to-life in Pelican Bay for a whole lot of bad stuff. Holy jump up and sit down is Bates going to be well and truly pissed if Fisk is running around free."

"I know the white guy," Deeks said quietly.

"So do I," Kensi joined the conversation with Callen and Sam walking in right behind her.

"That's Marcel Janvier," Callen said. "Son of a bitch."

-30-

Annoying author's notes: Sorry for the delay. Real life had a few ugly moments but things are returning to normal. So, hopefully, will be the release schedule. We're back on Sundays going forward. Thank you all for your patience regarding this update.


	5. Remember

**Chapter Five:** "Remember, that what has once been done may be done again."

* * *

"How is he out?" a stunned Sam asked.

"It would explain the different crews from different places and the finances for this caper," Kensi said. "Janvier always used hired help and nobody believes the government confiscated all of his assets when he was taken in to custody in 2013."

"Same with Fisk. Bates never believed all of Fisk's money and property was seized when you guys brought him in," Matt added. "His family disappeared right after his arrest. Fell off the face of the earth. Bates thought there were hidden accounts, a safe house and new ID's ready to go if anything went wrong for Fisk. He just didn't get to go with them."

"Nell is trying to figure out how these two are on the street," Eric said.

"While you all seem to know who you're dealing with, I'm not familiar with either of these two men," Chegwidden said to the group. "Can I get a sit rep?"

"Bachelor number one is Marcel Janvier, bachelor number two is Clarence Fisk," Deeks told the Admiral, scowling.

"I don't know anything about Pepe Le Pew but Clarence Fisk is the guy with the November 22, 2011 mugshot ID board. Drug dealer, blackmailer, tried to sell stolen, high-powered explosives to a bunch of Neo-Nazis which seems to be a bad idea. A really horrific idea, actually, when you realize what Neo-Nazis think of men who look like Fisk and oh yeah, totally and completely illegal," Matt said. Pointing to Deeks, Matt continued, "Our boss at LAPD spent about a decade and a lot of resources trying to arrest Fisk. My man Martin along with his NCIS Superfriends finally took him down. His last known address was Pelican Bay State Prison. They were supposed to keep him for another two-decades or so with about two-thousand other delightful souls."

Eric handed Chegwidden a file. "Marcel Janvier has a long history with NCIS and none of it good. He killed two NCIS Agents who worked with OSP, an Interpool Agent, two pharmaceutical executives..."

"Set them on fire," Deeks said. "Shot one of the NCIS Agents with a sniper's rifle from a good distance away just inches from Kensi, blew the other up in a car in front of all of us. Tried to blow up Sam, Kensi and me right here in this building."

"He also killed his hired accomplices here in LA, in Moscow and Brazil," Eric continued Janvier's criminal resume. "He executed team of six guards protecting a CIA traitor, two guards protecting an Iranian Intelligence Officer and an exotic dancer he used as bait. He maimed the Iranian Intelligence Officer as payback for his treatment in an Iranian jail. Used a handsaw to amputate the man's arms around the elbow."

"Oh," Chegwidden was appalled.

"He was also involved in Sam and Deeks being exposed in an undercover assignment. They were both brutalized," Kensi added with a small shiver traveling through her body.

"I thought it was a couple of Russians who hurt you," Matt whispered to Deeks.

"Janvier told the Russians that Sam was an undercover operative. I was on overwatch. When Sam's cover was blown, I was exposed too."

"Callen's right. Son of a bitch," Matt replied.

"And that would explain Amy's involvement in all this," Sam said.

"Janvier probably called in the tip for Amy's case the way he got Renko involved with the Mayfields. He had the teams for Amy, Kensi, Nell and Hetty in place. Kensi, Nell and Hetty were in town, Amy had to be brought here for all this to work," Callen said. "Eric, we were looking into Amy's tip..."

"I'm already on that. I'm backtracking phone calls. Earlier today, Kensi asked the San Diego office for any information requested about the case since it was put aside."

"Was Agent Brown part of your case against Janvier?" Chegwidden asked.

"She was undercover as a uniformed LAPD officer," Deeks said. "We ran a scam on Janvier, the Iranians, LAPD in a way."

"If he killed all of these people, how is he not in jail?" Chegwidden asked.

"He was. That was one of the calls I made this morning. He was doing a life sentence - three life sentences, actually. And all to run consecutively," Kensi said.

"With 20-years added to the end of those sentences for what happened to Deeks and me," Sam added. "The idea was that he'd never be out of prison."

"Well that idea is out the window," Nell said, joining the group. "Kensi called this morning and asked that a picture taken today of Janvier be sent to us. They sent it just Juan Perez ID'd Janvier." Nell took her tablet and sent the photo to the big screen. "Their records have this man as Marcel Janvier." The photo was a bald man near eighty with big glasses with thick lens.

"He looks familiar," Deeks mumbled.

"Yeah, it's Uncle Junior from 'The Sopranos'," Matt noted.

"I was thinking the Six Flags dancing grandpa myself," Eric said. "I'm running him through facial rec now."

"Either way, that's not the man your kidnapper ID'd," Chegwidden said.

"The prison is running his fingerprints right now trying to ID him," Nell said.

"Fingerprints?" Callen wondered. "How many fingers does the prisoner have?"

"That's a creepy question," Matt said to Deeks.

"Ten." Nell said. "I asked once I saw the picture."

"Why would that matter?" Matt asked the group since Deeks wasn't playing along.

"He lost his left hand in an Iranian prison," Callen said. "Probably finger by finger."

"Probably joint by joint," Kensi said.

"Oh Martin, the company you keep," Matt shook his head.

"This is like the switch he did in Oakville," Eric said.

"This is exactly like the switch in Oakville," Sam said.

"What switch?" Chegwidden asked.

"When we first brought him in as part of a truck hijacking, Janvier gave us a false name and false background information. He took a deal that put him in Oakville Prison. A few months later when we needed to question him about the murders of the pharmaceutical executives, a younger, chubby prisoner named Ramirez was in his cell and was the prisoner of record. Photos, fingerprints, even medical records," Kensi explained. "Ramirez was paid as was some of the prison staff. I'm sure our little old man also got a check."

"I'm running financials on everyone who worked at Florence for the last five years. Janvier likely paid big money for this move and paid it to more than one staff member," Nell said just before her tablet beeped. She walked back to her desk.

"How did these two meet?" Callen asked. "And how did Fisk get out of Pelican Bay?"

"Seems Fisk was not as feared in Pelican Bay as he was on the streets. One fellow prisoner who said Fisk's name in public as Fisk was rising through the drug dealing ranks had all his teeth knocked out with a baseball bat for that breach of protocol. That inmate, one Wilson Heyward, returned the favor while Fisk was doing some pull-ups in the prison yard. Heyward banged Fisk's head about half a dozen times into the pull-up bar before the corrections officers pulled them apart," Eric said.

"Fights happen in prison all the time," Chegwidden said.

Eric agreed. "Fisk lost a few teeth and had his jaw broken but he was seen as weak by the others in Pelican Bay. As his sentence went along, Fisk had problems with the different street gangs housed there. The Aryans in lock-up thought Fisk sold their brothers out in the case we handled. Fisk was an island. A year ago February he was involved in a fight where he was nearly killed. Traded his spot there for a more secure location in Florence Supermax if he testified against his attackers. He did."

"And that's where he met Janvier," Sam said.

"They were housed in the same unit," Eric told the group. "The plan for Fisk was that he'd do three or four years in the unit and be moved to a secure facility here in California away from people from his past life."

"Oh, he was moved. Just by Janvier," Deeks said. "Does LAPD know he's free?"

Eric shook his head. "No."

"Do we want LAPD to know he's free?" Matt asked. "Because I can think of an undercover unit that is going to have a new mission in life if they know he's running around. And that may not be helpful to whatever is going on here."

"If Janvier stays true to form, LAPD won't have to worry about Fisk for too much longer. Janvier's partners or accomplices or hired hands all tend to meet a sudden and violent end," Kensi told him.

Nell rejoined the group. "We finally have an ID on the man Hetty shot at the W. Marcus Green..."

"He was one of Fisk's top lieutenants," Matt said. "Please tell me he's dead. I took a beating in an undercover operation once because Marcus Green was proving a point. And maybe I said something inappropriate. Probably that in hindsight."

"Green is alive. Hetty shot him in stomach but he's alive. He was ID'd at the hospital. He's not going to be much help for another few hours since he's still in recovery."

"If Marcus Green is involved, we're probably looking for Larry Rhodes. Green was the brains who had some brawn, Rhodes was his brainy brawn partner," Matt said. "Fisk liked guys who could multitask."

"And the uninjured multitasker likely took Hetty," Callen said.

Eric's tablet now beeped. Looking at it, he said "Our not-Janvier is Richard Rizzo."

"Ricky the Roach," Deeks said.

"Ricky the Roach?" Kensi asked.

"Small-time criminal when I was a still in grade school in Reseda. Always around, always survived like a roach. He had a daughter who had really big health issues if I remember right. She was usually the reason people didn't press charges or the DA cut a favorable deal when Ricky was arrested," Deeks told the group. "'I only hijacked the truck because I need money since my daughter is in the hospital,' was his usual defense."

Eric tapped away on his tablet. "Samantha Rizzo moved six-months ago from a group home run by the county to a private care facility in St. Helena near Napa."

"Bought and paid for," Deeks said.

"So while we have names, do we have locations for any of these men?" Chegwidden asked.

"I was working on that," Nell said. "I've been running the phone numbers dialed using the SIM cards from the phones of the men Deeks arrested at my place, Kensi's dead kidnappers, the Perez's and the phone found by Hetty's that was probably Green's," Nell said. "The phones were all bought together at a reseller on South Central Avenue in Florence."

"Common numbers?" Chegwidden asked.

"That's what I'm working on. Currently, I have one," Nell put up a phone number on the screen.

"That's a Vegas number," Matt told the group.

"And you'd know that how?" Callen asked.

"I was assured what happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas," Matt joked. "Seriously, the area code."

"725 is a Las Vegas area code," Nell confirmed. "Tracked it back to a cellphone store that buys and sells used phones on the strip. Lose your shirt at the blackjack tables, sell your phone."

"Their firewall is a disgrace," Eric said. "The service started the Saturday before Memorial Day."

"If it is Fisk, it's going to be a Blackberry," Deeks said.

"Oh yeah," Matt agreed. "Fisk was not a fan of the iPhone. Phones were for business, not music or Angry Birds."

"If the service began in May, he's been out for nearly six months," Chegwidden said.

"That works with Ricky the Roach's daughter being sent to a private facility," Deeks said.

"So he and Janvier have had the opportunity to plan..." Callen was speaking when the big screen took Fisk's phone number and placed it over a map of downtown Los Angeles. The IDEO locator dropped just less than ten miles from the auxiliary office and provided an address.

"That's the Original Pantry Cafe," Matt said when he saw the address.

"You know that off the top of your head?" Sam asked.

"Working for LAPD means spending a lot of hours in places that feed you at all hours," Deeks said. "Do we think Fisk and/or Janvier are there?"

"I do," Matt said.

"Fisk is, Janvier isn't," Callen said. "He's not a diner guy."

"Fisk didn't strike me as a diner guy either," Kensi said.

"Fisk would fit in fine there. Baseball cap, tee-shirt and jeans, order a burger, side of fries. Nobody remembers him. Janvier's accent, his hand, or lack thereof, the wait staff or bus boys will likely remember him," Deeks said.

"So Postmates for Janvier," Eric said. "I can have the tactical team there in 15-minutes."

"We can be there in ten," Callen said.

"I've got a plan," Deeks told the group.

"I'm open for ideas right now," Chegwidden said.

"What have you got, Deeks?" Callen asked.

"Fisk's first concern is LAPD. Let's give him LAPD. Let him think he's gotten away with his work for Janvier when an unsuspecting LAPD officer stumbles across him."

"Front door Matthew, back door Martin?" Matt asked.

"That's a plan," Deeks said.

"I'm going with you two," Kensi said.

"And we'll be right behind you. With the tactical team," Sam said. "Get ready, we're out of here in three minutes."

x-x-x

Kensi was behind the wheel with Deeks in the front seat and Matt in back as the Highlander turned onto West 9th Street. "You're quiet," Kensi said, giving Deeks a quick look. "You're never quiet."

"I set you up with some easy jokes back there Martin," Matt said. "I mean Bates, Vegas. Not a nibble."

"Wasn't nibbing or joking around much after the last time Janvier was part of my life. Now he has Hetty, Amy and holy shit Kens, if you weren't the biggest badass on the planet he'd have you."

"And he'd have Nell if you weren't pretty damn awesome yourself," Kensi told him. "We get Fisk, he gives us Janvier and we get them all back." She took her right hand off the steering wheel and gave his left hand a small squeeze. "We got this."

"And then it's Original Pantry Cafe milkshakes for everyone," Matt said joyously. "I think everyone not only would like but deserves a milkshake."

"I do," Kensi played along.

"There's a shocker," Deeks said, back a little more to himself.

"So what's your front door/back door plan?" Kensi asked.

"Well, since I'm the far more sociable of the two of us," Matt said.

"Debatable," Deeks interrupted.

"Not, but you can live with your delusions. I will walk in the front door and suddenly recognized my long lost friend Clarence."

"Matthew will only go in once I'm set up in back with eyes on Fisk. As he makes himself comfortable next to Fisk at either the counter or at a table, I'll make my way to the other side of Fisk."

"He's a table guy," Matt stated.

"And I'll join you guys at the table," Kensi said.

"I told Sam to have the tactical teams at both the front door and the back," Matt pointed to a parking space near the diner. "If he slips past us, as unlikely as that seems, they can grab him."

Their phones all chimed. Deeks looked at his. "This is the man in Clarence Fisk's cell," he said, showing Kensi and Matt the picture Nell sent.

"I'd say he's about a decade older than Fisk," Deeks said.

"I don't recognize him but I'm sure there was a nice check to go with this move," Matt said.

"Janvier was doing a life sentence," Kensi noted. "Whatever this guy got paid it was probably less."

"Especially if Fisk was moving in a couple of years. Not-Fisk could yell and scream that there was some mix up and he was an innocent victim of some paperwork snafu," Deeks shook his head, disgusted.

Sam's vehicle passed their Highlander and parked across the street. "Let's send escapee Fisk back to the pokey. Showtime, baby," Matt said with a smile.

* * *

"I'm set," Deeks said using his earwig. He was flashing his badge and shooing several customers and restaurant workers out the back door. He could see Fisk wisely sitting at a table with a wall to his back and a wall along the side separating the counter seating from the tables. Dressed as Deeks thought, Fisk was just starting to eat his meal - burger and fries with a milkshake still in its metal cup. "Do you see Fisk, Matt?"

"I do," Matt said as he looked in from the front window. "My good bud Sam is making his way to the back door."

"I'm right behind Matt," Kensi said. "I'll wait until you're at the table, Deeks."

"I'm stationed at the back door," Sam said. "The tactical team is five minutes out."

"I'm watching Matt and Kensi walk in," Callen said.

Deeks saw Matt walk up to the hostess. As Matt was whispering to her, Deeks caught him quickly flashing his badge. Fortunately, the front part of the restaurant was nearly as empty as the back. The restaurant's reputation was never to be empty but just before the dinner rush, the light crowd made it the best time to try a capture like this.

Matt made his way to Fisk's table. "Clarence Fisk, as I live and breathe!" Matt exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. Putting his hands on his hips, he asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were away in Colorado?" Matt moved to the table and sat right across from Fisk.

Fisk put his hands on the table and started to push away when Deeks moved into the chair next to Fisk. With his gun drawn, Deeks pointed it right into Fisk's side. "Keep your hands on the table. Move and the first shot goes into you side, I'll make sure the second shot is right into the crotch."

"Not making any sudden moves," Fisk said, planting both hands on either side of his plate.

"Hi fellas," Kensi said, taking the chair across from Deeks and next to Matt. "I have so many questions."

"Like who is that poor schmuck in your cell?" Matt asked.

Smiling, Fisk said, "Paperwork foul up. I was told I could go free and I did. I have a letter in my hotel room and everything."

The team's phones beeped. Giving hers a quick look, Kensi said, "Does the paperwork belong to a Davis Johnson?"

"I am Davis Johnson," Fisk's smile never changed. "Print me, I'm Davis Johnson."

"Did you break into the Department of Defense fingerprints database? Because if you didn't, I like my chances of proving you're Clarence Fisk," Kensi told him.

Fisk's smile went away. "Don't use that name."

"Oh, Clarence Fisk, I think I'll be Clarence Fisking my way through this questioning," Matt said smiling. "Like, where are the women you helped kidnap, Clarence Fisk?"

"Where is Marcel Janvier, Clarence Fisk?" Kensi asked.

"I want a lawyer and a deal," Fisk said.

"Clarence Fisk wants a lawyer so we have to stop questioning Clarence Fisk," Deeks announced. "We wouldn't want Clarence Fisk to only do his remaining 20-years or so and not have all his new crimes – escaping prison, kidnapping and more – added to his sentence."

"Won't talk without a deal," Fisk said. "And you've made your point with my name."

"Oh Clarence Fisk, all you're getting is a return trip to Colorado. You can speak to your lawyer from your cell, Clarence Fisk. We have nothing to offer you, Clarence Fisk but you, Clarence Fisk, have something to offer us. So, Clarence Fisk, make things easier for Clarence Fisk and help," Matt said, proud of himself for getting in a six-pack of Clarence Fisks.

Deeks saw Fisk's right hand move slightly. "Clarence Fisk, move that hand one more time and if it is the last shot I ever take, I'll guarantee the rest of your life will include peeing through a catheter."

"Now Clarence Fisk, let me take temptation away from you," Matt reached across the table and took Fisk's silverware, cup and plate.

"Kens, I'm sure Clarence Fisk wouldn't mind sharing his fries," Deeks said as Matt placed the food in front of Kensi. "Sorry, Clarence Fisk you can't get something to go as we take you into custody and look - your ride is here," Deeks said as he tilted his head to the front door. The tactical team started walking in. "You're done."

As the diners were being escorted out by the team, Sam walked in from the back. "Fisk, we're on a clock. If you want any consideration about a future that doesn't include you returning to Pelican Bay as a known rat, don't wait for a lawyer and start talking."

Callen joined the conversation. "A lawyer will take an hour. Plus we'll have to find a place to question you."

"Oh, I have a place for Clarence Fisk. And call him by his full name guys, join in on the full name mocking fun of Clarence Fisk," Matt said.

"I will find..." Fisk started.

"I will find you at Pelican Bay and I will make damn sure everyone knows LAPD or the FBI or some other agency pulled you out of your cell for a nice long conversation. Then there will be a crackdown within an hour of your return to your cell. Trust me, someone's cell that gets tossed will have some contraband. Maybe someone goes into the SHU for a while. Everyone loses their yard privileges. Everyone that is, but you, Clarence Fisk. But everyone in your cell block will know that you, Clarence Fisk is the reason they're not out seeing the sunshine for 60-days," Deeks said. "How long you think you'll last in gen pop after there is a two-month crackdown on yard time, Clarence Fisk?"

"Janvier told me what happened to you two," Fisk said, looking at Sam, then Deeks. "You think you're tougher than me."

"I'm freer than you are, Clarence Fisk. That's all that will ever matter to me," Sam said.

The tactical team leader walked up to Callen and whispered into his ear that the restaurant was clear.

"Bernhart, you have a place for Fisk?" Callen asked.

"I think Martin and I will earn a few points with our boss if we were to walk him into the precinct. Can your guys call Bates and make sure he's hanging around the office but not share our fun little surprise?"

Callen nodded in the affirmative. With four members of the tactical team now surrounding the table, Deeks holstered his gun and let Sam cuff Fisk. Kensi walked away for a second while Deeks pulled Callen and Sam away from the tactical team.

"What's up?" Sam asked.

"You guys have been going straight since early this morning, Kensi too. I got a nice nap this afternoon. Have the tactical team drive Fisk, Matt and me to the precinct while the three of you catch a little shut eye. Beale could probably use a break too. Maybe the Admiral as well."

Callen agreed. "If you get anything from him," Callen started.

"We'll get something from him. He doesn't want to go back to Pelican Bay. Bates can probably get him to High Desert State if he gives up Janvier or has a location on Hetty and Amy," Deeks said. "The Lieutenant has some pull and besides, I think Bates wouldn't mind him being in the middle of nowhere like Susanville. In the meantime, you guys can get some rest so when we have somewhere to go, everyone is on top of their game."

"Including you?" Sam asked without any malice. "You've been weirdly quiet."

"Janvier being out brought back some rough memories but I was more bothered that he tried to grab Kensi," Deeks admitted. "It all hit home."

"And he still has Hetty and Amy. If your head isn't in the game, we can handle Fisk," Sam said.

"I got Fisk. God help us but Matthew's right, he's a great chit to have in the bank when it comes to Bates. I'm fine. Just watch Kensi," Deeks said.

"Done," Callen and Sam said simultaneously.

Kensi joined them with a plastic take out cup. "Why let a good milkshake go to waste?"

* * *

The tactical team swapped Sam's handcuffs for waist chains with leg irons. Fisk was not going anywhere without help.

While an annoyed but semi-fed Kensi returned to the auxiliary office with Callen and Sam, Deeks and Matt followed the tactical team's van to his precinct in the Highlander. The two, with half the tactical team, moved Fisk into the precinct's first available interrogation room and locked him to the table. As the tactical team returned to the auxiliary office, Matt took off to the local mini-mart for coffee. Deeks asked for a cup too. He still wasn't consuming LAPD's undrinkable swill.

Deeks watched an eerily calm Fisk through the observation mirror for a few minutes when the door flew open. Lieutenant Bates made his presence known. "I was at dinner at Bergin's, just about to eat my Shepherd's Pie, a meal I thought about all day while I was wondering where Bernhart disappeared to after the hospital shooting and not only do I get a call for your NCIS buddies about getting back to the office but I heard from people seeing a massive police action at the Original Pantry Cafe. What have you gotten yourself into now?"

Deeks pointed to the two-way mirror. "You remember Clarence Fisk, don't you?"

Bates looked at Fisk, turned to Deeks and looked at Fisk again. "I heard he was moved to federal supermax. How is he sitting here?"

"A better question may be how was he sitting at the Original Pantry Cafe? That was the massive police action, though technically it was NCIS's tactical team. They've had a busy day."

"Dan Evans gave me a rundown on what happened at your place and with one of the women in NCIS's office. Bernhart got into a hospital shootout - God help us all - protecting another NCIS woman."

"Actually the same woman Dan Evans encountered after he left Kensi," Deeks noted.

"I've also heard from a buddy at the DoD that a third female NCIS agent was grabbed and the miniature mistress of mayhem is missing."

"Can't comment on that one," Deeks said while nodding his head yes.

"What did those people do now?"

"Got the coffee," Matt said walking into the room. "Oh, hello Lieutenant."

"Bernhart," Bates said.

After he put the coffee on a shelf in the interrogation room, Matt said, "Amazing to see the people you meet in Los Angeles. Martin and I were just..."

"He heard about the tactical team," Deeks said before inhaling half the cup of coffee.

"They were very helpful," Bernhart changed his conversation track. "Strong men, big guns."

"Speaking of helpful, you think you can put your interrogator's eye on Fisk as I question him?" Deeks asked.

"Only if I get to be the one to re-book him and put him back in a cell," Bates growled.

"Seems fair," Bernhart said.

"Whoever got him out of prison has money and juice," Bates said.

"That's classified from me but I'm sure a chatty Matthew will be able to fill you in, especially if he's hopped up on post-arrest adrenaline and coffee," Deeks said. Putting in the earpiece connected to the observation room's microphones, Deeks started to the door. "If you see anything that's a lie, tell me."

"It will be my greatest pleasure," Bates said. As Deeks was closing the door behind him, he heard "What the hells is going on here?" from Bates directed to Bernhart.

Gathering himself, Deeks walked the four steps to the interrogation room. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and hoped the beginning of the end of the end of this terrible day was about to start.

"We need to talk," Deeks said, "but first," Deeks took another deep breath and read Clarence Fisk his rights.

-30-


	6. Forever

**Warning: Adult language and imagery.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six:** "There are two ways of seeing: with the body and with the soul. The body's sight can sometimes forget, but the soul remembers forever."

* * *

Not surprisingly, Clarence Fisk understood his rights. Surprisingly, he waived the right to a lawyer.

"Thought you wanted a lawyer and a deal," Deeks commented.

"I'm betting I get a better deal without a lawyer," Fisk replied.

"Especially since your last one was disbarred. Where is Marcel Janvier?"

"Oh, Monica Lee. I heard you saved her life," Fisk said, shaking his head with amazement. "All the trouble she caused the DA's Office, LAPD and you personally and you make sure she not only survives, rumor has it the county had to write her a nice, big check for one of their employees assaulting her on camera."

"He hit me too but as another county employee, I don't get a check" Deeks stifled a yawn. "Where is Marcel Janvier?"

"I knew Bruce. An associate was involved in allowing a man like Steadman to access cash without collateral."

"So you knew his loan shark. Fascinating company you keep. Where is Marcel Janvier?"

"Not loan sharking. Making capital available to those without the means to borrow from the banks their tax money bailed out all those years ago. Not all that different than those pay day loan places in my old neighborhood."

"An old neighborhood where you sold drugs by hiring underage kids to move your merchandise guaranteeing the ruin of generations of families. Spare me the outrage at your fellow vultures. Speaking of vultures, where is Marcel Janvier?" Deeks asked again.

"I wasn't the first to respond to a demand that years of neglect and tragedy in those neighborhoods, neighborhoods all over LA that have been used and abused by the man."

Deeks rolled his eyes. "Solidarity forever, my friend. Now, where is Marcel Janvier?"

"Did it hurt?" Fisk asked.

"Look man, I'm tired, I've got a lot to do including finding two missing NCIS staff members. I'll be happy to have deep and meaningful conversations about oppression, abuse and not so benign neglect of the underserved communities in Los Angeles but not with a drug dealer who sold explosives to neo-Nazis. Where is Marcel Janvier?"

"So it hurt?"

"Play along Deeks," Bates said into Deeks's earpiece.

"Quid pro quo," Deeks offered. "I'll answer your question, you answer mine."

"You're not giving me a one word answer and getting any information from me," Fisk countered.

"So Janvier is in a location with more than two words in its name, good to know. Where is Marcel Janvier?" Deeks tried one more time.

"Deeks!" Bates scream nearly caused the earpiece to fly across the room.

"Did. It. Hurt?" Fisk asked again.

"You're. Going. To. Have. To. Narrow. That. Down," Deeks replied. "In the last couple of years I've been in a car crash, a helicopter crash and took a handful of beatings from the kind of quality people you meet and live in your last two official residences."

"Marcel told me..."

"Marcel? Wow, first name basis with a psychopath. BFFs with one crazy MF."

"Your smart mouth isn't going to get me to help you," Fisk said.

"I have a feeling you're not going to be much help," Deeks pushed away from the table. "I have to find a couple of people, enjoy your trip back to Pelican Bay. I'm sure you'll have eyes in the back of your head for your fellow inmates who hate you already but watch out for the ones you don't know. Your buddy Marcel has a nasty habit of killing his accomplices. Your time on this earth is likely very limited and my time as someone who is free to come and go is even more precious, so I'm bailing."

As Deeks stood, Fisk slammed his hand down on the interrogation table. "You think I'm dumb."

Looking down at Fisk, Deeks said, "I think you're a lowlife criminal. I think you want me playing whatever game you want to play because you are trying to protect a man who will have you killed the minute it is possible."

"No, he won't," Fisk said with a self-satisfied smile.

"Because you're friends, I forgot."

"Because he isn't the old one who likes to play chess."

"Oh, so now you're the brains in this operation? Please, feel free to share."

"Marcel knew everything about the people you work with. About you, your girlfriend the fed, your boss, the big guy whose wife died - everything."

Deeks started racking his brain, trying to remember anytime he thought he and Kensi were being followed or watched. "Great, he's a voyeur on top of all his other sicko tendencies."

"No, he knows everything about everyone he deals with. Helps him find their weakness and makes them easier to control."

"So, 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Psychopaths' school of management."

"I thought that was a good idea. When he proposed this plan, I already knew everything about him. How he made his money, how he lost his hand, how he hated that he lost his hand because of an NCIS agent, the same NCIS that put a bullet in his jaw. And that NCIS agent is the one running the team who arrested me. So if he knew all that about me, I got someone to make sure I knew everything about him."

"So you willingly went into business with man who kills his accomplices. Wow, you are the criminal mastermind I always thought you were," Deeks shook his head and took a step toward the door.

"He has a daughter," Fisk said. "Adeline. She's studying at FIT in New York and working as a personal shopper for a bunch of rich women."

"And this means what, exactly? Daddy's wearing an orange jumpsuit and Adeline could find the perfect shoes and purse to make that look work."

"I have an associate that takes a picture of Adeline every day and sends it me. Getting in a cab, shopping at Saks, on line at Starbucks. And if my guy can get a photo, he sure as hell can slit her throat leaving any of all those places. So I send that reminder to her father every day."

"Wow, 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Psychopaths' really did work for you."

"A man has to guarantee his position inside an organization. And if my associate in New York goes more than two days without hearing from me, he'll cut her into little pieces, send the video to Janvier and then mail her left hand to his old cell for DNA testing."

"Deeks," Bates said into Deeks's earpiece, "Bernhart just yelled something about getting Fisk's Blackberry SIM card to Ginny and her brother Rick. He said you'd know what that means. As much as anyone knows what Bernhart is yammering about. Keep him talking."

"I haven't made it this far in life without learning something every day," Fisk seemed oddly proud of himself.

"Shame you couldn't learn useful things," Deeks noted.

"Keeping me alive is useful."

Deeks moved back to the interrogation table. Sitting back down, he said, "If either or both of the two women you helped kidnap are killed, you won't be kept alive. You're death penalty eligible."

"California doesn't kill people. There are nearly 800-people on death row."

"California doesn't but the feds do. Kidnapping is a federal crime, kidnapping federal agents is a federal crime, killing federal agents - also federal crime. Last two men executed by the feds were a drug dealer and a man who killed a female soldier. You're the perfect combination of the two. And you'll be executed in Terre Haute, Indiana, home of Larry Bird."

Fisk was quiet for a minute. "Did it hurt?"

"If we play quid pro quo, I really need specifics. I don't need to know Janvier is in the city. I'm going to need very exact locations," Deeks said. "And if you're playing me, I will make whatever is left of your life as miserable as possible."

"Nothing from Bernhart since he ran out of here in a hurry," Bates said to Deeks. "Play along."

"Marcel told me he sold out the big guy. His partner is the agent who shot Marcel. Supposedly they're brothers from another mother. Janvier knew that would bother the guy who shot Marcel."

"So Janvier doesn't like people who have friends. What does this have to do with me?"

"Marcel had his court papers. Transcripts of testimony, everything that was entered into evidence. You and the big guy were tortured. Tell me about it."

"Deeks, forget what I said. You don't have to play along," Bates said. "Get out of there. We'll find your NCIS people some other way."

"Any particular reason you need this info?" Deeks asked with a smile. "Is it something that is going to keep you warm on those long, lonely nights in your cell while the rest of the world is going on and going on without a single thought of the criminal formally known as Clarence Fisk?"

"No man, it's something I always wondered. How does a man stand up? Looking at you, you ain't much. But Marcel's paperwork had doctors' records and in your case, the dental records. They fucked you up."

"So if the question is did it hurt, the answer is yes, yes it did. Just as I'm sure getting your teeth smashed out of your head in the prison yard had to be a bit painful."

"The prison dentist lacked the certain light touch my old dentist on Wilshire and North Clark had."

"I'm guessing the prison dentist was still a bit more skilled than a lunatic with a hand drill creating big new holes in my mouth."

"So it hurt."

"Deeks!" Bates screamed. "Out, now!"

"It did but it didn't," Deeks said, lean back in his chair. "I had a drunk for a father who beat the living shit out of me and out of my mother. That hurt. One night as a teenager I did something really stupid and my Mom had to pick me up at the station house. She cried all the way home. That hurt."

"Probably really hurt when you got home and your father beat the living shit out of the two of you."

"Oh, he was in prison at the time. I shot him Thanksgiving night after he started beating my mother. I was eleven."

"Deeks! Out! Now!"

Deeks continued as if he didn't hear Bates. "I was shot a few months before you were arrested. That was more uncomfortable than painful but the hospital had the good meds. What it mostly was, to tell you the truth, was annoying. I was going to die on the floor of a convenience store by the beach. I had plans, you know? Hell, I went jogging that morning and all I could think was that I should have gone surfing. So then I'm involved with this psycho Russian with nukes and my cover gets blown by your good friend Marcel. You want to know if it hurt. Yeah, it hurt."

"I bet it did," Fisk said, smiling.

"But you criminal types never understand. You losers are weak. That's why you're doing what you're doing."

"Excuse me?" Fisk was offended.

"There's always this bullshit argument that if a guy like you who was so smart running your drug business would use those skills running a legit business, you'd be just as rich and successful."

"I would have been," Fisk said. "I could have been Fortune 500 CEO if I wanted it."

"No you wouldn't. Selling real estate or running a real business. That's hard. You don't get to kill the realtor across the street for snapping up a listing from you. You don't get to beat a supplier with a tire iron because you didn't like the quality of the product. The guy who drags himself into his business every day and makes sure his employees are paid, his bills are paid, his customers are happy - that guy's the brilliant businessman. You, you're a weak lowlife who couldn't run a business with Warren Buffett whispering in your ear every minute of every damn day. "

Fisk chuckled. "So you're going to sell me that you sat there like some superhero as your mouth was drilled with a mini Black and Decker."

"Oh hell no," Deeks chuckled back. "First, I wasn't sitting there voluntarily. Much like you right now, I was strapped to a chair. Unlike you, I had this metal gizmo in my mouth, keeping it opened. Totally there against my will. I yelled and screamed. You wanted to know if it hurt. It did. But that guy strapped to the chair living through that, he got the shit beaten out of him as a kid until he was strong enough to fight back. And he did. That guy disappointed his mother once and made damn sure he never did that again. And he didn't. Got a law enforcement career going that was good enough that this elite federal team actively recruited him from the LAPD. And in that moment, he was everything that team needed."

Fisk started to open his mouth but Deeks stopped him. "So you can look at the criminal enterprise you once ran and realize it was built on what you took from others. I look at my life and know it was built on what I had inside me. I may not look like much but against you, against your buddy Marcel, I like my chances."

While he struggled with the waist chains, Fisk managed to do a slow clap. "Lovely speech."

"Where's Marcel Janvier?"

"I still got more questions."

"Deeks, get out of there!" Matt screamed into the microphone in the observation room. "Your girl Nell-Ginny is made of awesome. She's got a ton of stuff from Fisk's phone. They want us back in the office."

"Us? When did you leave LAPD for the Deeks NCIS Traveling Circus?" Bates yelled.

"Sorry," Deeks said to Fisk. "I'm done."

"You're not sorry and you're not done. I'm going to need more."

Deeks stood up. "Nope. You got your answer. You just didn't like the reflection the mirror of my answer showed you."

"What?" Fisk said confused.

"Yeah, that sounded better in my head," Deeks said. "Sorry, it's been a long day. Have fun at Pelican Bay."

"You'll never find him," Fisk said. "He's a chess player. He's got all things planned."

"And you're stupid enough to think you got ahead of him. Don't you think he has someone watching his daughter? My guess is once your BFF Marcel knows you're in custody, your guy watching Adeline gets his throat cut. Then Janvier will cut him to little bit and every part of his body except for his left hand gets mailed to you in whatever prison you're in," Deeks started walking to the door. "Knowing Janvier's MO, once you start getting those pieces, you're likely done."

"Get back here," Fisk demanded. "I have information."

"And you can share it all with my boss, Roger Bates. You remember him, don't you? He's not going to play your reindeer games but you can try. Me, I can go out, get myself some food, get back the missing NCIS agents and then going home to my girlfriend. If Janvier survives, I'm willing to cut him a deal to find where your wife and kids are. Start confiscating whatever house and lives that were bought with drug money. That is if Janvier doesn't have his own associate watching your family. And you know what; the minute you started that blackmail with his daughter, finding your wife and kids became his job number one." At the door, Deeks turned back and offered a sincere farewell. "All the worst luck in prison. Here's hoping you get everything you so richly deserve."

* * *

Deeks walked out of the room feeling oddly better than he did before walking in. Really better than he felt since he found out Janvier was free. He was enjoying that feeling. He hated the other one.

Matt, on the other hand, was going a million miles an hour. He nearly pulled Deeks down the hall, yelling to Bates they'd be back later. Bates was enjoying his moment, knowing once again he was locking up Clarence Fisk.

As Deeks pulled the Highlander out of the precinct parking lot, he noticed Matt had calmed down significantly. "Does Nell really have something on that SIM card? Or did Bates make you pull me out?" he asked.

"Yes. on the SIM card and she's got good stuff. Nell wanted you and I'm sure by extension me back in your super-secret clubhouse. But our fearless leader wanted you out of that room with all due haste."

Deeks sighs. "Bates worries too much."

"Sign of a good leader. And someone who probably isn't dirty."

"But Nell has something."

"She was going to wake up the others. She wanted you back. And me by extension," Matt said. "Unsaid of course but I was feeling the love."

"You know, if I handled what Fisk was asking about a couple of years ago, I can handle that lowlife asking about it."

"Martin, I believe you can handle most things. But put yourself in Bates's shoes. He's got his dream bad guy sitting a few feet away and dream bad guy is poking the bear with one of his underlings. And he's not calling you names. Bates calls you names. Fisk is talking about something that weren't trained for at the Academy."

"Nobody was trained for that. And you know, gang cops have gone through..."

"The gang guys took beatings, had fingers broken, got branded. They also knew if they got past that, they were on their way on an undercover assignment. If that son of a bitch broke you, you'd be dead and so would your buddy Sam. Maybe your girl gets killed too."

"It's not..."

"It is, man. And today hasn't been tension free either. This is being run by the bastard who put you in that chair. And he tried to grab Kensi, he grabbed two of your co-workers. You were a little cranky going after Fisk."

"And I was perfectly capable of walking out of interrogation if it was bothering me."

"You were pulling your favorite move, Martin. You always pretend to walk out but you never do."

"I walked out. Bates now has his early Christmas present with Fisk in cuffs going back to jail. We're on our way back to find Hetty and Amy. All good."

"Maybe, but your friends and co-workers at LAPD worry about you. I'm worried about you because on top of everything that's been going on with this, you've also got this IA nonsense hanging over your head. Your plate has been loaded since you got drafted into this liaison set-up. Maybe it is time to think about going back to your professional home?"

"The Public Defender's office?"

"Martin, I'm serious."

"Do you honestly think I'm ever going back to LAPD in a normal role? Frank Scarli is doing a life sentence because of me. John Quinn and Bruce Steadman are doing decades in jail because of me. God help my career if Bates is really dirty and I help Whiting prove that. I'll probably have to join NCIS at that point."

"Don't leave us, Martin. Nobody else at LAPD would like me as much," Matt said, turning things light. Getting serious once again, he added, "Just don't undersell what you survived and what you were forced to deal with. Bates respected your skills before you went through what you went through, his admiration grew afterwards."

"Wonder how much he'll admire me if he finds out I'm working with Whiting."

"You're also working against Whiting when it comes to clearing Bates. He'll be cool with that."

"Nothing today was worth anything that happened but there was something cool about seeing the look on Bates's face when he saw Fisk."

"That's why he loves us Martin. We're worth the trouble."

* * *

"Heard you missed us," Matt said as he walked into the auxiliary office's main area. "We're back."

"Oh, 'Hot for Teacher'," Eric said. "I loved that video when I was a kid."

"We all did Eric," Matt said. "And it is a memory we all hold dear."

"What are you holding?" Nell asked.

"A long standing appreciation for music," Deeks covered for Matt and Eric. "Matthew said the SIM card was useful."

Callen, Sam and Kensi joined the group. The Admiral was on a land line obviously reading the riot act to some poor soul.

"You OK?" Kensi asked.

"Fisk was awful to Deeks. Pissed off Bates," Matt said.

"Not hard for Fisk to piss off Bates," Deeks said. "And Fisk was playing games. I wasn't. What do you have Nell?"

"There are multiple calls to all the burner phones we found on our different suspects. There were also calls to one Gerald Munson."

"G-Money," Sam said. "Not to be confused with G Callen. I met him years ago during my first case with Spence Taylor. Munson's father Franklin was a pawn shop owner in South Central. Ran numbers, loan shark, stayed away from drug dealing but helped with money laundering."

"Because you can have morals about selling drugs but no issues with taking a little off the top when you are making their money clean," Kensi said.

"And probably buying the jewelry or TV's in the pawn shop that the local addicts were selling to get money from drugs," Deeks said with a sigh. "The perfect circle of awful."

"Franklin Munson got beaten a few years ago in a robbery. Left in a wheelchair. Still shows up every day in the store but his son Gerald just finished college. Took over the family business and expanded the money laundering business literally by buying the laundromat next door, the pizza place around the corner and a cell phone store two blocks down," Nell showed a picture of Gerald outside each business from an LA Times article about the young generation of LA entrepreneurs.

"Cash businesses, makes laundering that money even easier," Callen said.

"G-Money became G-Money when the Molina cartel lost ground in the neighborhood," Nell said. "Nature abhors a vacuum."

"He became almost a temp service to different criminals. You needed someone for a job, get your money with G-Money," Eric said.

"And Fisk was using G-Money," Deeks said.

"Pulling up Munson's cell-phone records and the different payphones at both the pizza place and the laundromat, everyone was hired by Munson. He also purchased some video equipment, several big screen TVs and some bags of cement.

"Oh, that's not good," Deeks said.

"Yeah. I called LAPD to pick up Munson," Eric said. "They just said he was not at any of his businesses."

"Why would he be? I'd be running if I was him," Sam said.

"Especially if I was working for Janvier," Deeks agreed.

"What else do you have?" Callen asked.

"Matt said Fisk sent a photo to Janvier and thought that's why Fisk had his cellphone on at the Original Pantry Cafe. He was sending the picture to Janvier," Nell said.

"That's why I thought he'd have his phone on," Matt said. "Nell did all the hard work."

"You have Janvier's location?" Kensi asked.

"Yes and no. It looks like he's using a satellite phone. The original GPS coordinates were 15.2761 North, 23.7484 West." Eric entered the coordinates on a map appearing on the big screen. It was Tarrafal, Cape Verde.

"I think we found where Fisk's wife and kids are living," Deeks said.

"Even with a live private plane, say a 747 with a quick refueling stop on the East Coast, they'd barely be there right now. They wouldn't be there when Fisk made the call," Nell had a flight path on a map from LA to the island off Senegal. "Most sat-phones can the capability to load in your own GPS coordinates. Since they're only accurate to ten kilometers..."

"Most users like soldiers or feds put in their exact location so they could be found," Sam said.

"And Cape Verde gets NCIS snooping around and probably finding Fisk's family," Deeks noted.

"Son of a bitch," Callen said. "So where is he?"

"This is where I wish we were in Ops. I'm running a program that is trying to break the sat-phone's encryption, and it is really encrypted," Eric told the group. "My computer here isn't as powerful as the one in Ops. I've got a general location for the phone in Southwest LA."

"That's a start," Sam said.

"A big start. It's a a twenty block area from Hawthorne Municipal Airport to West El Segundo going north to south, Crenshaw to South Inglewood going east to west," Eric said as he showed a map on the big screen.

"Hawthorne Plaza," Callen, Deeks and Matt said almost simultaneously.

"The dead mall?" Kensi asked.

"If you were going to run a kidnapping of five different women and hold them someplace deserted and quiet," Callen started to explain.

"Where a van or a truck wouldn't be out of place," Deeks added.

"And you didn't have anyone to worry about interrupting your evil genius ways," Matt said.

"Hawthrone Plaza," Sam said.

"We go in there guns a-blazing and he's nearby but not there," Deeks said.

"Then he's set us up the way he did with Lauren Hunter," Kensi said.

"Who is Lauren Hunter?" Matt asked.

"NCIS agent Janvier blew up in a car in front of all of us," Deeks answered.

"Oh Martin, the company you keep," Matt said shaking his head.

"I've got some bad news," the Admiral said as he joined the team.

"Because today's been so full of good news," Nell said.

The Admiral looked a Nell and gave his head a little shake. "I was on the phone with an old CIA friend. And by friend I mean someone I can barely tolerate."

"Trustworthy?" Sam asked.

"Not in the least. But in matters like this, he's usually right. Janvier's been moving money around for weeks."

"We knew that. It's how he paid for all this," Kensi said. "Wait, did the CIA know he was out?"

"No," Chegwidden assured the group. "They knew money in accounts they were tracking was being moved but not who was moving it. Anyway, Janvier made a few other payments.

"This is the bad news part coming up," Deeks guessed.

"Yes it is. He's purchased enough RDX to take down a full city block."

"Or Hawthorne Plaza," Callen said.

"What's that?" The Admiral asked.

"A place we think Janvier has Hetty and Amy. Abandoned shopping mall," Eric said.

"He could be bringing us there to kill us all," Callen said. "Or he could have Hetty and Amy there and just blow them up."

"And kill the rest of us at his leisure," Sam added.

"Eric, keep working on the encryption. See if you can pinpoint that phone," Callen ordered.

"On it," Eric said.

"What are we doing?" Deeks asked, half knowing the answer.

"He probably knows we'll get to Hawthorne Plaza at some point. Now seems like as good a time as any," Callen said.

"Gear up," Sam said. "Helmets, eyewear, night-vision goggles and every weapon you're cleared to carry. Assume every door is wired to blow. Watch where you walk. Any pile of rubble could be an IED. Bernhart, if you want out..."

"I'm not missing my opportunity to hang with Martin's cool friends. I'm in."

"You stay with Kensi and Deeks. We're out of here in five," Sam ordered.

"Not without these," Nell said. She held out some small trackers. "Kensi is already wearing one. If Janvier is grabbing people and you're walking into his place."

"You're with us," Sam took the tracker and attached it to the inside of his boot. "We're moving."

Kensi drove the Highlander as Deeks and Matt went over their weapons supply. She was following Sam's SUV.

They pulled into the old mall's parking lot and the lights came on. "Oh, seems we were expected," Matt noted, tightening the straps of his bulletproof vest.

"Up there," Deeks pointed to a flashing arrow.

"I don't like this," Kensi said.

"We're not supposed to," Matt told her.

The arrow pointed to an entrance that was as well-lit as if the shopping center was still opened for business. As they got out of their vehicles, Sam reminded all that every door should be considered booby-trapped, every step should be taken with extreme caution.

The team entered the old shopping plaza and followed the lighted path to the mall's long abandoned center. Sitting on a bench facing the center, a floor above the team was Gerald Munson. He was weeping as he wore a bomb vest with his hands tied behind his back. Hanging below where Munson was sitting was a 55-inch television.

"Don't move man," Sam said as he walked toward the broken escalator.

"Don't touch it! Don't come near me!" Munson cried. "Janvier said it would blow if anyone touched it."

The television flashed on. "Hello Agent Callen, Agent Hanna, Detective Deeks," Janvier said as he appeared on the screen. "I thought you'd be with me Agent Blye. Perhaps in a little while. Tell me, who is your friend?"

"Matt Bernhart. LAPD," Bernhart replied.

"You've made a terrible mistake. You all have. You may want to walk to the wall behind you," Janvier suggested.

"Why's that?" Sam asked.

"Mr. Munson is about to make a mess." And with that statement, Janvier showed a bomb trigger on the screen. Gerald Munson's vest exploded.

-30-


	7. Wisdom

**Chapter Seven** : "All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope"

* * *

"Whoa," Matt said, sounding just like Keanu Reeves.

"You OK, Matthew?" Deeks asked.

"Yeah, just never seen a guy do that before," Matt said, stunned. "Oh Martin, the company you keep."

"Nell, you got this?" Callen asked, tapping his earwig.

"I'm not hearing anything," Kensi told Callen.

"Janvier probably has scramblers everywhere," Sam said.

"Then how is he being feed into the big screen?" Deeks pointed to the now blood-stained screen with a laughing Janvier.

"Probably hardwired and not just for video," Sam answered. "Turn off your phones, now."

"Doing exactly what I'm told because, sweet fancy Moses you got exploding criminals, but why?" Matt asked as he fished in his pocket for his phone.

"There may be other bombs and you don't want to enter an area where Janvier can use our phones to blow us up," Sam told them as he pulled out his earwig and crushed it under his boot.

The team all quickly turned off their phones and followed Sam's lead by crushing their earwigs.

"So smart you've figured that out," Janvier said. "But your fate, and the fates of your associates are in your hands."

"Where are Hetty Lange and Amy Brown?" Callen asked.

"I'll be happy to lead you to both women. I'm sure you'd like to see your coworkers again, would you not?" Janvier asked. "You have ten minutes to find Agent Brown. She is attired much like Mr. Munson was. After ten minutes, she'll be in a similar state as Mr. Munson."

"And if we just chose to leave?" Deeks pushed back. "Maybe we have the bomb squad waiting nearby?"

"Why would you have the bomb squad nearby?" Janvier inquired.

"Well, you blew up me, Sam and Kensi after blowing up Agent Hunter," Deeks said. "Despite what they say in all those financial ads, past performance can be an indicator of future outcomes."

"And the first person who leaves the building without Agent Brown will face the same outcome as Agent Renko. Past performance, indeed Detective Deeks. Ten minutes. Tick-tock Agent G. Callen."

Sam turned to Kensi and started rattling off instructions in Japanese. When Kensi replied in Japanese, Matt looked a Deeks who offered a little shrug. Sam motioned to Callen. The two walked to the dilapidated down escalator and made their way down to the mall's lower level.

Gathering Deeks and Matt close to her, Kensi said, "Assume every door is wired, we clear this floor, make our way to the third. We'll go right upstairs, Sam and Callen will go left."

"Good, they get dead guy side," Matt said.

"No talking. Point, tap, signal. Find any explosives and show them to me. We good?" Kensi asked.

Both men nodded.

The mall's main floor was open with few possible hiding spots. Store doors and windows were long removed. Plywood used to board-up restrooms, electrical closets and janitorial spaces was tossed to the side of each room's entrance. Graffiti covered most areas. If Kensi was the first through a store's doorway, Matt was right behind her, Deeks protecting their backs. Once a store was cleared, Deeks would take the lead with Matt behind him and Kensi protecting their rear as they entered the next establishment.

As they neared the door the team entered when arriving at the mall, Kensi signed the men to stop. She slowly examined something above the door -something they missed walking in. Deeks and Matt walked up slowing, seeing some explosives on a circuit.

"RDX," Kensi whispered as the three backed up.

The search of the rest of the floor was quick, efficient and pointless. Lots of abandoned stores where some of the homeless once had temporary camps, graffiti artists experimented on walls and thieves stole everything from copper wiring to toilets.

As Kensi, Deeks and Matt made their way back to the mall's center, Callen and Sam were climbing up the broken escalator from the lower level. Callen shook his head 'no' to the others and they all made their way up to the third floor. The long-still escalator had all its stairs but almost no support. Each team member had to make their way up alone and running for fear of collapse.

Matt was visibly relieved when Callen and Sam started toward the Munson mess side of the floor. Sam once again gave Kensi orders in Japanese. She nodded in agreement and the team went their separate ways.

"What's up?" Deeks whispered.

"Deeks, you run down to the end of the hall, start making your way up. Matt, you take the left side, I'll take the right. Four minutes," Kensi whispered her instructions. "Go."

Deeks raced down the hall. The abandoned food court was all open space. Ovens, sinks, dishwashers were all pulled from the walls. There were a smattering of tables covered in debris and graffiti still bolted into the floor of the large space but little else.

Making his way to through the restrooms, Deeks heard Kensi's Eric-like whistle. Running back to where he left Kensi and Matt, he saw her wave to him as everyone started moving to the Callen/Sam side of the floor.

Running past what was left of Gerald Munson, mostly his bottom half, Deeks heard Matt whisper "geez Louise" but never slowing down.

Callen was standing outside a closed men's store. Missing both the front door and the store's windows, Kensi, Deeks and Matt looked in. Amy was in a well-lit room, wearing a vest similar to the one Munson wore. There was a camera on her with a note that read, "LEAVE ON."

Sam was circling Amy. Like Gerald Munson, she was bound - this time to a simple chair. Unlike Munson, she was calm.

Sam pointed to Deeks and Matt, waving them into the room. Once they started moving, he was working on the back of the vest.

"Don't come in," Amy told them. "I've made my peace. I'm good. Sam, you leave too. Nobody has to die."

"Nobody's dying here," Sam assured everyone in the room. "This is just going to take a minute."

"We're getting you home," Matt said with some confidence. "I'm mostly new new here but these guys, totally amazing."

"I know," Amy said, looking at Sam. "That's why I want Sam and Deeks and 'mostly new' to get out of here and find that slimy son of a bitch who did this to me. I knew the deal when I joined NCIS. I knew the deal when I volunteered for Hetty's assignments. I knew things could end badly. Find him before he can hurt anyone else."

"We're good," Sam said quietly as he cut two wires. "Real good. Deeks, cut the ties around Amy's legs. I got the ones binding her hands."

A large television screen behind Sam sprung to life. Janvier was there once again. "I see you found Agent Brown."

Deeks had his knife out and was cutting through the zip ties hold Amy's legs to the chair.

"A little busy here," was Sam's only reply.

While he was down near the ground, Deeks checked under Amy's chair. There was no pressure plate on the bottom of the chair. If Sam could defuse the vest, nothing would be triggered if the pulled Amy from the seat.

As Deeks was starting to stand, Sam signaled him. He counted down from three to one before motioning up and away. Deeks nodded and looked over to Matt. Tilting his head, Deeks positioned Matt to Amy's left while Deeks took a position near Amy's right.

Bending down, Deeks looked at Amy and smiled. "When this is over, I'm guessing you'll stay with the San Diego office and I'm going to be Hetty's only go-to blonde," he joked.

"Souda Bay," Amy said, defiantly. "I survive this, I want a transfer to Souda Bay."

"Where's that?" Deeks asked.

"Crete. Beaches, blue water, sunshine."

"You live in San Diego," Deeks teased as Sam worked.

"Ouzo, feta cheese, honey. I'm making myself hungry," Amy said.

"I love the Crete," Matt said. "Go to Achinos in Neapoli at sunset. The food is almost as good as the sunset."

"I'd like to see that but I'm not getting out of this chair," Amy said. "You need to all get out of here. You can see Crete for me."

"Three of us," Sam said, looking at Deeks, "will have you out of here in two minutes," Sam moved close to Amy's left shoulder. He tapped Matt's thigh. Yelling "One!" Sam grabbed Amy's shoulder while Matt grabbed her left arm.

Deeks sprung from his crouching position and the three men pulled Amy away from the chair and camera set-up.

The three men dragged Amy to the door with the vest not detonating.

"I saw the transmitter and disconnected it," Sam said as the three men helped Amy to a bench outside men's store. He gently removed the vest before throwing it into the back of the shop, taking out the camera set-up.

"Are you hurt?" Kensi asked Amy as she crouched down to look at the woman.

"I'm good," Amy said automatically. "Actually, I'm not. I can't move much. I've been strapped to that chair for hours. Before that, I was locked into a car trunk. I'm not good at all."

"We gotta move," Sam said. "Amy needs help now and Janvier isn't going to like that we won this round."

Deeks took Amy's left arm and moved it over his shoulder, Matt did the same with Amy's right arm. The three walked slowly down the mall's hall, Callen and Kensi leading the way, Sam protecting the rear

"Can you remember what happened?" Callen asked Amy, trying to distract her as they moved past what was left of Gerald Munson.

"Yeah. I do," Amy said. "Is that the young guy? The goon? He was the one who strapped me to the chair."

"He won't be doing that any more to anyone," Deeks told her.

When they got to the broken escalator, Amy asked to sit. "I can't move. You two can't get me down what's left of that escalator."

"I'll put you in a fireman's hold," Sam said.

"And you'll fall and kill the two of us. Gimme a gun, get the guy who did this and I'll wait for help."

"The place is wired to blow."

"Hell, I was wired to blow. I'm still here and I can't get down that mess."

"We're going to get you down there. In the mean time," Sam gave Amy a handgun. "Anyone who comes this way who isn't one of us or isn't with one of us - you shoot them. We clear?"

"Yeah. The guy, the guy running this. He was from the case where Mike Renko and that woman who filled in for Hetty were killed. He was the French guy or Romani, I couldn't remember which or even his name which pissed me off because I liked Renko and should have remembered."

"Marcel Janvier," Kensi said.

"That's the son of a bitch. I was grabbed by two local guys. I think I killed one of them."

"The Perezs. Don't worry about them," Callen said. "If we've got Amy..."

"Where's Hetty?" Sam finished Callen's thought.

"Where's Hetty? Hetty is missing?" Amy was genuinely surprised.

"You didn't see her?" Sam asked

"I saw the inside of a hood, a car trunk and then that place," Amy pointed to the abandoned men's store. Her hand was shaking. Deeks knew Amy was never going to fire that gun to protect herself or the team.

"We're going to figure a way to get you out of here. Janvier has the way we came in wired to blow," Kensi said.

"Up here too." Sam said. "There was an exit to the parking lot. Wired to blow."

"Same downstairs," Callen said. "There were explosives near the old service entrance."

"But nothing attached to any support beams or load-bearing walls," Sam noted.

"Not to be super negative but no bomb we can see," Matt added. "There could be bombs near support beams and load-bearing walls." All of a sudden Matt's eyes grew wide. "I have an idea."

"Matthew," Deeks warned. "Don't..."

"No, this is a good one, I promise," Matt said as he ran down toward the food court.

"I don't remember him," Amy said. "Where's 'mostly new' from?"

"On loan from LAPD," Deeks replied.

"Well, you were a keeper," Amy said with a tired smile.

"See that," Deeks looked at Kensi. "I'm a keeper."

"Guys, focus," Sam said. "Where the hell is Bernhart?"

"A little help here," Matt called as he walked to the group carrying a piece of plywood.

Sam and Deeks ran over to Matt. "Sled," Sam said. "Should have thought of it."

"My guess is Matthew has a story about a breaking out of a house with a mattress sled and a tilted roof," Deeks commented.

"Canada at my grandparents' during Christmas vacation when I was twelve. There was a shower curtain, snow and dormer roof," Matt said with a smile. "Not to weight shame anyone, but Amy and Kensi probably weigh a little less than what Sam does. They could go down together"

"That's about right," Sam said. "Kensi and Amy can sled down on the board."

"You load her up, Martin and I will be downstairs, we can get Amy up and moving," Matt said placing the board at the foot of the escalator. "See you on one," Matt saluted and raced down the stairs.

"He's a keeper, too," Amy said to nobody in particular.

"He needs a keeper," Deeks joked before he raced down the stairs.

Callen and Sam helped Amy to her feet. The two men eased her onto the front of the plywood with Kensi in the back. Sam and Callen pushed the Kensi and Amy sled down the stairs. It stopped near the bottom of the escalator where Deeks and Matt pulled it the rest of the way. Callen ran down with Sam behind him.

As Deeks and Matt got Amy positioned between them, the screen under Gerald Munson came to life. "You found Agent Brown and managed not to kill her or yourselves. Congratulations on a job well done."

"Where's Hetty Lange?" Callen demanded. "We're tired of your games. We've been out of communication with our office. They're probably sending the cavalry."

"That should be most interesting," Janvier said. "I know the place where you'll find Ms. Lange and it is the last place you'll ever think to look."

A cell phone started ringing.

"Who didn't turn off their phone?" Matt wondered.

"Everyone did," Callen said before Sam, Kensi and Deeks all yelled "Run!"

The explosions started in the food court area as the team ran to the exit. The limited lighting Janvier strung through the mall fell dark. The explosions moved over where the team was running, causing a rumble over their heads.

With the explosions starting on their level, what was left of the mall's second floor started falling to the first. "Move, move, move," Sam yelled as he hit the exit first. Callen and Kensi were right behind him as Deeks and Matt moved as quickly as they could with Amy between them.

Hitting the outside of the building, the team was met by the NCIS tactical squad moving toward the building.

"Run!" Sam screamed as he waved the squad away from the building.

The team along with the tactical squad was about ten yards from the old mall when the building collapse began. One member of the tactical team, Ronnie Reyes, grabbed Amy's legs, helping Deeks and Matt move the injured agent.

Once everyone was clear, a loud explosion in the middle of the building sent a flash of fire through what was left of the roof.

As Deeks and Matt eased Amy to the ground against the Highlander, a wide-eyed Matt looked at Deeks. "Holy shit, Martin. Holy, holy shit." Turning to Amy, Matt said, "I am sorry for my foul language. My mother would be so unhappy she raised such a crude son."

"Never a dull moment at NCIS," Amy said with a chuckle. "When Renko was killed, Hetty called me to help out. Was happy to do it. I worked with Mike in San Diego when he was deep undercover with some Marines who were misappropriating ammo. In a million years, I never thought that would lead to all this."

"Callen and Sam arrested Janvier in a fairly route case. Nothing has been routine since," Deeks told her.

"EMT's are here," Reyes told Amy. "I'm going with you to the hospital as security. Beale told me there was already an incident at the hospital today."

"God, that seems like a week ago," Matt mumbled.

"Hey, you two," Amy said to Deeks and Matt. "I wasn't getting out of there without either of you and nobody would have blamed your for dropping me when the building was exploding and saving yourself."

"I would have blamed myself," Deeks said.

"Me too," Matt added. "I would have blamed Martin," he said with a big smile.

"I owe you guys my life. Sam and everyone but especially you two. And Matthew?" Amy said.

"Only Martin gets to call me that, it's Matt," he said with a smile.

"Your mother should be proud of her son everyday. She didn't raise a crude son, she raised a hero." Amy grabbed Matt's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you."

Matt smiled as the EMTs took over.

Deeks and Matt found their way to Callen and Kensi. Sam was debriefing the tactical team leader.

"Now what?" Deeks asked.

"We're going back to the office. We all smell of rubble and explosions," Callen said.

"And failure," Kensi noted.

"Amy would disagree," Deeks told her.

"I know the place where you'll find Ms. Lange and it is the last place you'll ever think to look," Callen parroted Janvier's words. "The answer is there. I'm sure of it."

* * *

With Matt, the team returned to the auxiliary office. Chegwidden pulled Callen aside while the rest of the team took turns showering. Matt wound up borrowing a pair of pants and tee-shirt from one of the tactical team members. He disapproved of the tactical pants - "they make me look bottom heavy."

"Girls like a little junk in the trunk," Kensi teased.

Nate called in, Nell said. He was making his way to the hospital to sit with Amy and see if she had any insights on Janvier's location.

The team reconvened around the office's big screen. Nell had some chicken ordered from Jim Dandy's. After Deeks grabbed a plate with a breast and a leg, he pulled Matt aside. "You OK?"

"Yeah. I can see why you hang with these people. They're awesome and the work is is fun."

"You almost got blown up."

"Still fun."

"Matthew?"

"I was a tad exuberant when the building blew up behind us but I kept running and did my job,. Sorry if I'm not as blasé as you are about all this," he teased. "I'm new to getting blown up."

"Not blasé," Deeks said. "Just gearing up for what's next."

"I'm in for what's next. The dude knows I'm part of this. I need to be part of the end."

"You OK, Bernhart?" Sam asked. "Not every day a man nearly gets blown up."

"I got shot in the head once," Matt said.

"Oh, here we go," Deeks said.

"That explains so much," Sam said.

"No, see, I just got a crease," Matt pulled back his hair to show a small scar. "I just started undercover work. I'm a delivery boy for this a-hole drug dealer. He was fighting with his girlfriend and decided that I didn't bring the money to his house fast enough. He was going to prove to his girlfriend that he was a bad ass by killing me."

"And he shot you in the head," Kensi joined the conversation.

"Well, the two of them were arguing and the next thing I know I see my target pulling out the gun. I duck and bang, right in the head," Matt said. "Scared the hell out of me."

"It would scare the hell out of anyone," the Admiral said. The team, minus the showering Callen, was now all transfixed.

"Didn't scare the girlfriend. I hit the ground. My head is bleeding - spoiler alert, I'm a bit of a bleeder - I'm playing sort of dead," Matt moved to the buckets of chicken and grabbed a leg. "So the girlfriend starts arguing that she wasn't cleaning his stanky ass bedsheets, she sure as hell wasn't cleaning up my bleeding ass on their marble floor."

"He is a bleeder," Deeks confirmed.

"So girlfriend stomps off and I'm left alone with my dealer. He's about to call for someone to take me away when I decide it is time to take this dude down for attempted murder. Attempted murder of me."

"Tell him how it ends," Deeks said.

"I have him on the floor, hands out since I don't have handcuffs. I'm still bleeding pretty good but I call for back up. Girlfriend comes back. She's pissed. She starts hitting me. Throws the TV remote, a lamp. It was awful. While I'm ducking incoming, the target starts moving. I promise to shoot him and then shoot her if everyone doesn't freeze. LAPD get there just in time to see her throw this cast iron lion figurine the target had under his flat screen, hit the boyfriend with it instead of me but the damn thing bounced on the ground and hit my foot. Broke my big toe. After I survived all that, I decided to enjoy every minute of this career. I'm probably going to crash big time once we're done but until then, I'm on board."

Callen joined the group. "Nell, can you put on the big screen the following statement: 'I know the place where you'll find Ms. Lange and it is the last place you'll ever think to look.'"

"What's that?" the Admiral asked.

"Janvier's final words to us before things started blowing up," Sam said.

"Not to be a smart ass but 'the last place you'll ever look' when you're searching for something is always a silly statement. Why would we look for Hetty after we found her?" Eric asked.

"Probably to find Janvier," Kensi said.

"True, but isn't he going to be where Hetty is? He seems to like his revenge face to face," Deeks noted. "I wasn't all that involved last time but I heard about how you found Vaziri."

"Where would be the last place we'd ever think to look?" Nell wondered.

"Here," Matt said. "This is a big facility, could she be here?"

"No," Eric said. "While you guys were off picking up Fisk, Agent Thompson and I did a full search of the place. He did it on foot, I did it through computers, we're clear."

"Any of Hetty's homes?" Kensi offered.

"Homes?" Matt whispered to Deeks. "Plural?"

"Hetty had some outside income over the years," Deeks replied. "You're not the only one with the fancy bank account."

"Except for the W, all the places have their alarms set and there have been no alerts," Nell said.

"I sent Sterling to eyeball the places," the Admiral told the team. "He's seen nothing new."

"The office?" Deeks wondered.

"Your super-secret place?" Matt asked. "Could he find it?"

"Did you see what he did to that shopping mall?" Sam replied. "Bribing someone, following a staff member - hell, he could have followed Amy up from San Diego to the office."

"Or he could be in the boat shed," Kensi said. "I know the place where you'll find Ms. Lange - he knows where the boat shed is. He's been there a couple of times."

"The San Diego office had staff in there," Eric said.

"They left with the tactical team before two," Kensi said. "They set the alarm and locked up the building."

"Eric, can you turn on the cameras inside the boat shed from here?"

"Way ahead of you," Eric said with a piece of chicken in his mouth, freeing up his hands to type.

Cameras feeds started appearing on the big screen. There was a white Toyota Prius in the parking lot.

"Anyone leave a car behind?" Sam asked.

"Why would they? They were supposed to go back to San Diego or report here," Kensi answered.

Deeks took another computer and tried to search the Prius's license plate in the DMV files. "The license plate belongs to a Beemer owned by a real estate lawyer in West Hollywood. That's not a BMW," Deeks said pointing to the Prius.

The interrogation room was empty, as were the bedrooms. When the main room's cameras finally came on, Hetty was sitting on the couch with her hands folded.

"Why isn't she moving or trying to get out of there?" Matt asked. "You guys are super crafty. I've seen that building. Plenty of exits."

"Last time I saw someone like that, there were lasers around them," Deeks said. "And the room was wired for explosives.

"Do you guys fight any normal criminals?" Matt asked. "Lasers and explosives?"

"With Janvier, isn't the assumption that the place is wired with explosives?" Eric asked.

"What's the plan?" Kensi asked.

"Just like when we saw you like this," Callen said. "She's waiting for us and we're going to get her."

* * *

Annoying author's notes: The Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center - the mall in this part of the story - is still standing abandoned. It is going to come down eventually, just not at the hands of Marcel Janvier. It pre-LA approved destruction here is purely fictional.

For those asking, yes it was Clayton Webb on the phone with Chegwidden in the previous chapter. If the program is bringing back Admiral Chegwidden, let's see the rest of the old JAG gang!

As always, thank you so much for the feedback and comments on the story - they are a joy to read and I am grateful you liked the story enough to take time to say so. We're winding down - much like the summer.


	8. Vengeance

**Chapter Eight:** "Hatred is blind; rage carries you away; and he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught."

* * *

Just as Sam fired the van's ignition, there was a banging on the back door. Deeks, who was sitting the back with Kensi and Matt opened the door.

"I'm going with you," Chegwidden said as he started climbing in the van. "The cute computer couple has Nassir and Thompson watching over them." The Admiral was wearing an NCIS bulletproof vest, carrying an AR-15 and his cellphone.

"Admiral," Callen said from the front passenger seat. "Are you sure..."

"Granger, Bridges, Langston, Hetty and myself - we've spent a lifetime watching each other's backs. Granger is the reason I'm here. I'm not letting the man down by explaining I sent his final team to rescue Henrietta as I sat on my ass watching on the action on a television screen."

"Welcome aboard, sir," Matt said as he strapped on his on loan NCIS bulletproof vest.

Sam started driving toward the boat shed.

"So what's the plan?" the Admiral asked.

"Janvier likes explosives," Kensi explained. "He blew up Lauren Hunter, nearly did the same to Sam, Deeks and me."

"And don't forget Gerald Munson," Deeks added.

"Not forgetting that anytime soon," Matt said more to himself than the others.

"We need to assume every part of the boat shed is wired to blow," Sam said. "Hetty could be sitting on an explosive pressure plate or there could be lasers or wires to trip."

"Janvier has to know we're coming," Deeks said. "As paranoid as the man is, he would have noticed when the cameras came to life."

"He's waiting," Callen said. "He's likes the sea air and I sent him to the middle of Iran and Florence Supermax in landlocked Colorado."

"We, Callen, we," Sam corrected. "We sent him."

"So he's sending you Christmas cards?" Callen asked.

"Wait, what?" Deeks said.

"He's sending you Christmas cards?" Kensi was amazed.

"Every year," Callen told the group.

"My mother's family Christmas letter is now no longer the most unwanted delivery in the history of holiday mail," Matt joked.

"So he knows where you live," the Admiral noted.

"His revenge was always going to be against me but just not first. When we realized who he was, Janvier called and said he knew who mattered to me. If the hired goons didn't fail, I'm sure Kensi and Nell would be sitting on either side of Hetty."

"Not Agent Brown?" Matt asked.

"Amy's a good agent and someone we all like to work with but not she was never part of the team the way Kensi and Nell are," Callen explained. "No, the plan would always be to get even with her for her part in his trip to Iran. As awful as it sounds, the vest was his rather impersonal way to get rid of someone."

"Like Munson," Sam said.

"That seemed personal to me," Matt said. "Blowing someone up seems personal."

"So everything is rigged, what else should I be concerned with," Chegwidden got back on track.

"The trap door," Kensi said.

The Admiral chuckled. "Ah, Henrietta and her trap doors, escape hatches and secret staircases."

"Saved me a couple of years ago," Deeks said, thinking about Bruce Steadman.

"Same here. FBI got Duggan killed and Hetty and I left through the trap door so we wouldn't be next," Kensi said.

"The hidden staircase in the Bel Air mansion is a little tight," Sam noted.

"You fill a room," Callen teased.

"Certainly filled that staircase," Sam agreed.

"How do we get in to secure the trap door?" Matt asked. "And once it is secure and we've got everyone in custody, can I try it? I've missed out on the trap door experience."

"Only if you're good," Deeks said. "Kensi and I go in through the second floor? That worked with Granger when he first showed up."

"No," Sam said. "Admiral, if I remember correctly, one of your area of expertise was sharp shooting. When was the last time you were at the range?"

"Sterling belongs to Burbank Rifle."

"Of course he does," Sam said.

"We spent a few hours there last month," Chegwidden said.

"And?" Sam asked.

"He misses you terribly Chief Hanna and I can still drop a man from 600 feet."

"Good to know," Kensi said.

Sam drove past the boat shed's parking lot and to the marina nearby.

"Deeks, you're up first."

"Where's he going?" Matt asked.

"I'm going for a swim."

* * *

Deeks ran from the van to the side of the boat shed. Opening the biometric lock on the storage cabinet, he removed his wetsuit, an underwater light along with the underwater camera and communications rig. Five minutes later, he was swimming to the trap door's ladder.

"Watch for trip wires," Sam warned as he got closer to the hatch.

Swimming close, he saw the door's rope tied and placed just as Hetty wanted it this week - she had them change it every Monday. If Janvier was down here at any point, he never touched the door.

"Go up?" Deeks typed on camera's tablet.

"No, secure the door," Callen instructed. "That way he can't escape."

"Neither can we," Deeks typed back before he started securing the locks around the door.

"We'll meet you in marina behind the parking lot, Deeks," Sam said. "Good work. Get out there and back into your clothes. We'll meet you at the entrance to the boat shed's parking lot."

* * *

Deeks walked up to a grim group. "So what's the plan?"

"Before we discuss any plan, I'd like to ask a question," Chegwidden said. "Speaking as a civilian who has seen the terror and violence this man has unleashed and not a federal agent or a sworn member of local law enforcement..."

"You don't want to bring him in alive," Kensi finished his thought.

"He was in a supermax prison with limited access to the world and yet his brought all this upon this team," Chegwidden continued. "I'm not saying we walk in and murder the man. I am saying that if there is cause for lethal action, it might be wise to take it."

"He tried suicide by cop once," Callen said. "I don't want to give him what he wants."

"Not concerned about wants," Chegwidden replied. "I'm more concerned for the greater good not just for your team but for the havoc he's wreaked just in the last two days."

"No, we're going to send him back to that hole and make damn sure that everyone around him is as honest as the day is long," Sam added. "He's going to know whatever time he has left in this world will be spent in that dank little cell with his long planned revenge against this team as big a failure as he is."

"But if it is him or you," Kensi said to Matt and the Admiral.

"It's him," Deeks confirmed. "Definitely him."

"Deeks, Bernhart, you're going in through the main door. Callen and I will come up through the back. We won't go in until Kensi and the Admiral are upstairs and in position."

"Let's do this," the Admiral said as he and Kensi made their way to the structure's external stairs.

Deeks and Matt found their way to the boat shed's main entrance, leaving Callen and Sam near the back entrance.

"We're in," Kensi whispered.

"Go now," Sam told them. Callen and Sam ran into the back door, crossing into the room with their guns drawn.

Kensi and the Admiral were on the second floor balcony with their guns drawn as well.

Deeks and Matt joined the team with Deeks sliding the bolt lock to the interrogation room closed. The easiest way to keep Janvier away from the trap door was to lock the room.

"Hetty?" Callen said as he got near her. "Lasers? Wires?"

"No. Much more low tech. If everyone could stay on the other side of the coffee table, I think that would be for the best," Hetty said calmly.

"Henrietta?" Chegwidden asked, disregarding her request. Standing to her left, he said, "Oh my."

Matt was close by Hetty's right side. "On the green thing, what does 'front toward enemy' mean? Because it sounds bad."

"It is bad," Sam said. "It means when that green thing, a M18 Claymore mine, is triggered to explodes, the front side explodes at the target - the enemy."

"Me," Hetty made clear as Chegwidden walked over toward Matt.

"What does that do, exactly," Matt whispered to the Admiral. "I'm new to all this military stuff."

"A little C4 helps shoot about 700 tiny steel balls at whatever 'front toward enemy' is facing at great speed. At 50-meters, each ball is the equivalent of being hit by a .22 caliber bullet."

"That's not good," Matt mused.

"If you would all be so kind, as to all move to the other side of the coffee table," Hetty asked. "I'm fine here, despite what that evil son of a bitch believes."

"Where is Janvier," both Callen and Sam asked simultaneously.

"I saw Mr. Deeks lock him into interrogation when he and Detective Bernhart entered the boat shed. I would imagine that won't make him happy."

"Oh, crap," Deeks said as he ran to unlock the door. Sam was right behind him.

As Deeks put his hand on the lock Sam stopped him. "Slowly," Sam mouthed to Deeks.

Deeks eased the lock back. On three, Sam opened the door and barged in with Deeks pulling up the rear.

"Agent Hanna," Javier said, sitting on the "wrong" side of the table. "Surprised to see you and Detective Deeks."

"We were always going to find you," Sam said.

"No, the surprise was that Isaak allowed you both to live. He had a well-earned reputation of making sure those who crossed him pay in the most painful and ultimately fatal way. Yet, I heard both you and Detective Deeks survived your time in his tender mercies."

"He didn't survive his time with me," Sam said. "Put your hands up. Or should I say hand and stump."

Sidorov turned to Sam and Deeks, showing his right hand. He was holding something.

"Drop it," Deeks said.

"I don't think Ms. Lange would like that," Sidorov told him. "it would have an, ah, explosive result."

"Deadman's switch," Sam said.

"Back out of the room," Janvier ordered. "This was always such an intimate space when it was just me with Agent Callen. It is even smaller with the two of you here."

Sam tilted his head, signaling Deeks to the door. Once Deeks backed out, Sam followed.

"Don't shoot him," Sam said as he and Deeks backed into the boat shed's main room. "He drops that trigger..."

"This blows," Hetty said. "Literally and figuratively."

Janvier walked into the main room, met by guns pointed at him by the team. "Agent Callen, so good to see you once again. I told you once the game was not over."

"It was never a game," Callen said.

"Oh, but it is. And it is one I intend to win."

"You're surrounded by cops and agents, all pointing guns at you," Bernhart said. "You blow up your clayton..."

"Claymore," Chegwidden corrected.

"You blow up your bomb, this building is shot. Looks cool but I grew up with boats. NCIS can secure the structure as much as they want. What's underneath is for shit. Moves with earthquakes, drunk boat enthusiasts hitting the pilings, damaging them. You blow this place and we're all going into the drink. You think you can swim away faster than we can shoot, Righty? We'll be fine, you'll be dead."

"Maybe not Ms. Lange

"Hetty get up," Callen said. "Walk to our side of the coffee table." Walking to Janvier, he placed the AR-15 to Janvier's forehead. "Move."

"No," Janvier replied.

Chegwidden's phone pinged. "Ah, good news."

"Admiral?" Sam asked.

"Agent Callen, I need a second with your prisoner." Chegwidden said.

"I am nobody's prisoner," Janvier said.

"Fifty-fifty on that. I do know someone who is one-hundred perfect in custody," Chegwidden said. Holding up the phone to Janvier, Chegwidden had a photo of a young woman's mug shot. She was obviously crying, looking tired as she wore what seemed to be a pajama top.

"Adeline," Janvier gasped.

"One of my favorite officers when I was the Judge Advocate General for the US Navy was a reservist who is a bigtime AUSA in New York. She put away heads of three of the five families of the Mob, four Russian crime lords and enough big-time drug dealers to populate a big village in Columbia. I've heard from friends in New York that she's the scariest person in the city. And New Yorkers don't scare easy. Tonight, she had your daughter arrested for theft and fraud. Seems she's been skimming from her clients in her personal shopper business."

"That's a lie," Janvier said.

"When your partner Fisk was taken into custody, NCIS called NYPD and had his man tailing Adeline arrested," Chegwidden said.

"Thank God," Janvier was visibly relieved.

"At the same time, I made a phone call to the AUSA's office. I asked them to look into your daughter's finances. If Adeline skimmed any money from her clients, and with the forensic accountants the New York office has, they'll find something. They always do. And since her clients are the daughters of hedge fund managers, stock brokers and the like - people who often run afoul of the New York AUSA's office, having charges pressed and witness availability for any trials are pretty much guaranteed to keep the New York office happy."

"She's going to get Al Capone'd," Deeks said. "They always get them for the financial crimes."

"No, so much more than that," Chegwidden continued. "If she put any money into any account you had access too, hell, your canteen account at Florence Supermax - she'll be an accessory to kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, murder, attempted murder. Knowing my former officer, she will not only charge your daughter with financial crimes but with everything you've done. And also knowing her, she'll convict your daughter. While you rot in your cell, she'll rot in Bedford Hills."

Callen moved back toward Janvier. "Move."

Chegwidden walked over to Hetty and helped her from the couch. Several hours of sitting she was a little stiff. Janvier replaced her on the couch. Hetty sat at the main room's table.

"Call the bomb squad," Chegwidden said.

As Kensi started to pull out her phone, Janvier smiled. "This ended just as I hoped," Janvier said.

Sam looked at the claymore and then Janvier. Jumping over the coffee table, Sam grabbed at Janvier's hand. "He reverse engineered the claymore," Sam yelled as he struggled with Janvier.

"Reverse engineered, what?" Deeks asked.

"The Claymore is going to blow facing us," Hetty said.

"Oh, the hell it is," Chegwidden said. Picking up the mine, he ran to the door facing the water. Deeks opened the door ahead of the Admiral.

"I played varsity baseball," Matt yelled. "I should throw it into the water."

The Admiral didn't answer. Instead, he tossed the mine high into the air over the water.

The mine exploded just as it hit the water, causing the dock to shake and a wave of water to wash toward the boat shed. The Admiral, Deeks, Matt and Kensi were soaked.

Walking up to Matt, the Admiral put his arm around the detective. "Son, I was drafted by the Cleveland Indians as a pitcher back in the day. I can still bring the heat."

Matt smiled. "Martin, you need to spend more time with quality men like Admiral, lawyer, fireballer AJ and less time with your usual company."

"Speaking of which," Kensi said, running toward the door. Deeks, Matt and Chegwidden followed.

Callen stood over Janvier, who was flat on his stomach, arms and legs spread apart. Hetty sat at the main table with a tea cup in front of her. Sam was making tea.

Kensi joined Callen on Janvier watch.

"Anyone hurt?" Hetty asked.

"A few fish likely have some holes but we're fine," Chegwidden said.

"That son of a bitch told me he had Miss Blye, Miss Jones and Miss Brown killed. Obviously Miss Blye is fine."

"More than fine," Deeks said with some pride. "She was great in all this. As always."

"Nell worked all day to get us here. Deeks interrupted her abduction. Amy is in the hospital. She killed one of her kidnappers but wound up being caught up in all this. She's going to be fine."

"But is looking for a transfer to Crete," Deeks added.

"I'll make sure she's assigned wherever her heart takes her," Hetty said.

"Kensi killed her two kidnappers," Callen added.

"Always the overachiever, Miss Blye," Hetty said with pride.

"Next time I'll send more," Janvier promised.

"Not going to be a next time," Sam also made a promise. "The justice system once again has plans for you."

"As I have plans for you. All of you," Janvier swore. "You two newcomers. too. I have nothing but time to plan my revenge."

"But not likely the access or the funds. Sit and plan all you like. That is all you're ever going to do," Callen said. With the sirens in the background, just under twenty-four hours after it started, Marcel Janvier's revenge attack on NCIS was over and the only causalities were on his side.

Matt made his way over to Deeks. "So any chance I get to use the trap door once everyone leaves. I'm already wet."

"Detective Bernhart, it would be an honor to watch you swim to the shore," Hetty said with a smile.

* * *

Four months later,  
Florence CO.

Marcel Janvier shuffled his way into his cell in in ADX Florence Supermax. His guilty plea to the additional charges for his anti-NCIS Office of Special Projects walk about added one life sentence and 70-years to his incarceration. Judge Valerie Jackson had those sentences run consecutive and not concurrent to his three life sentences. Judge Jackson not only wanted to guarantee Janvier stay in custody, she issued an order to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to come up with a detention plan that was not only constitutional but iron clad.

Inside his cell waiting was G. Callen. "I have a feeling of deja vu. Eight feet wide, eleven feet long. 23-hour a day lockdown. Your life spent in here. Priceless."

"I'm surprised you're back, Agent Callen."

"I'm not," Sam said from outside the cell. "He had today circled on his calendar and he doesn't have much on his calendar."

"You didn't come last time," Janvier noted.

"Had other plans and at the time, I thought it was a bad idea," Sam replied. "Wouldn't miss this one, though."

"Why a bad idea?" Janvier wondered

"As a person, you're not worth my time."

"And now," Janvier asked Sam.

"There are some things that need to be made clear and I'm here to help with that."

Kensi walked up alongside Sam. "I was out of the country last time Callen was here. I would have tagged along."

"I wasn't invited last time," Deeks said as he stood next to Kensi. "Probably would have checked the surf reports before committing. I do so love that sea air. Soothes any mouth discomfort I occasionally suffer."

"You all must have enjoyed that two-hour plane flight just for this," Janvier said.

"It is fun to fly anywhere," Kensi said. "Fun to go outside, fun to eat where we want, when we want. Fun to decide what different clothes we want to wear. What we want to do with our lives as opposed to living a limited and uniformed existence. And for the record, orange isn't really the new black - that color does little for you."

"Are we done?" Janvier asked.

"No, I just wanted to introduce you to the team who will be guarding you. In cooperation with the US Navy and the Marines, your guards are all now former military who were working in the prison system. They know that you tried to help a Russian sell nuclear weapons to the Iranians. That didn't sit well with them," Sam said.

"And since you got chatty with Clarence Fisk when he was sent here, your opportunity to make friends will be limited. This cell corridor will have one resident - you," Deeks told him. "You'll be able to meet and mingle with your fellow inmates during your hour of yard time but the inmates out there with you will all be interrogated and monitored after any conversations held with you. That includes a simple nod or a plain hello. I'm guessing you're not going to be all that popular."

"Now are we done?"

"Adeline took her plea. She will be a guest of the state of New York for the next decade. She only stole a few thousand dollars, a few pairs of shoes and bags but concerns of appearing in front of jury implicated in your crimes had her take ten years with no hope for parole," Callen said as he walked to the cell door. "Now we're done."

As the team walked away from the cell, they heard Janvier say, "But I am not."

* * *

Six months later,  
North of Montana, Santa Monica.

Deeks and Matt were leaning against Matt's truck when Kensi's SUV pulled up. Deeks was in a black three-piece suit with a white dress shirt and dark grey tie while Matt was wearing a light grey suit, a pale blue dress shirt and a midnight blue velvet bow-tie. Both men wore dress shoes, shined within an inch of their lives.

Kensi exited her vehicle with Admiral Chegwidden leaving through the passenger side. Kensi was wearing a black MICHAEL Michael Kors mesh accented round neck dress and the same line's Faryn sandals. The Admiral was in a dark-blue sports coat, a crispy white dress shirt, light tan pant and dark brown loafers. He held a file folder in his left-hand.

"Gentlemen," the Admiral said with an extended hand. Deeks shook first. Matt went for the full bro-hug. The Admiral did not. Kensi went for the full bro-hug with Matt and a nice peck on the cheek for Deeks. "What time did AUSA Guevara say this was going to happen?"

"As soon as the boy arrives at his grandmother's," Deeks said. "No kid needs to see this."

"But I do. I like seeing bad things happen to worse people. It's my thing," Matt said with a smile.

A dark blue sedan pulled up behind Kensi's truck. Roger Bates turned off the car and joined Deeks and company. "What's this all about? AJ?" Bates was surprised.

"Roger, good to see you," Chegwidden shook Bates's hand. "Best interrogator I ever saw in action. Always wondered why he wasted his time with the Army when the Navy had so much more to offer."

"If you can't cut it as a Marine," Kensi said as an aside.

"Are we going to have a military throw down here, because my money is on her," Matt said, pointing to Kensi.

"I'm with you on that," Bates said. "So why am I here?"

"Detective Deeks was approached by your department's Internal Affairs division in a questionable investigation into you and your squad," AJ explained, handing the file folder to Bates. "Internal Affairs wanted to leverage some information they believed they had against Detective Deeks to ensure not only his cooperation but a possible unfavorable outcome for you."

"Again?" Bates was stunned. "The only person who was this crazy about taking me down was John Quinn and that was to win favor with Clarence Fisk."

"Fisk really didn't want not go back to Pelican Bay," Deeks said.

"Really didn't want to go back," Matt added. "Like willing to expose all of his remaining puppets and people still on his payroll so he didn't have to go back."

"Less willing to do all of that right off the bat," Kensi said. "More willing to do it when his wife was brought into custody with his daughter by the DEA's international division and their home and assets in Cape Verde were all seized."

"That's why you were out of the office three months ago vacationing in Cape Verde," Bates said to Matt, shaking his head. "Surfing, parasailing - that's more Deeks than you."

"I'm always willing to surf or parasail for my friend Martin," Matt said solemnly.

"So if Fisk isn't in Pelican Bay or Florence Supermax, where is he?" Bates asked.

"With this wife and child, he's going into WITSEC. He'll finish his sentence in USP Hazelton. His wife and daughter will be placed nearby. New identities, new lives," Chegwidden said. "It was the only way Deeks could secure Fisk's cooperation."

"Cooperation in what?" Bates wanted to know what was going on. "Don't tell me he had another officer in his pocket."

"Not quite," Kensi said as four dark grey Ford Taurus's pulled up to a home across the street and four doors down from Matt's truck.

"Showtime," Matt said.

AUSA Guevara exited one of the Taurus's with a small squad of FBI Agents surround the targeted house. One of the FBI Agents banged on the home's door. "Douglas Gabriel Whiting, FBI. Open the door."

The door nearly flew off its hinges. "What the hell?" Douglas Whiting was at the door, still wearing his work clothes - a dark blue suit, white shirt and red tie. "What is going on here?"

"Yes, what is going on here?" Ellen Whiting demanded. She was wearing a blue cocktail dress. "I'm LAPD. What is this all about?"

"Mr. Whiting," AUSA Guevara stated, "you're under arrested for hiding over two million dollars in assets for one Clarence Fisk. You also initiated illegal financial transactions including but not limited to setting up holding companies to fund his family's escape from the US with all the on-hand cash they could put into suitcases, paying his expenses during his escape from prison last year and funding several other criminal enterprises while he was in custody."

"What?" Ellen Whiting was shocked.

"You also fed false intelligence to your wife about LAPD Lieutenant Roger Bates and his involvement in several criminal acts. All of these charges were investigated by not only a member of the LAPD working for your wife but by the AUSA's office and FBI to guarantee Lt. Bates a fair inquiry," FBI Agent Lisa Rand told Whiting. "Detective Deeks submitted copies of all his paperwork, exonerating Lt. Bates time and time again. Finding the AUSA's Office and the FBI confirmed during their independent investigations."

"Great, Roger Bates is as pure as the driven snow," Ellen Whiting snarked.

"Not according to the paperwork you submitted to the LAPD Internal Affairs division. You altered several of Det. Deeks's reports, signing that they were his work under penalty of perjury."

"We interpreted things differently," Whiting defended herself.

Shaking her head, Rand said, "No, according to e-mails and texts from your husband, you were doing what you were told - what was important to him. While we're processing your husband at the Federal Building, LAPD is giving you the opportunity to turn yourself in for questioning. If you're not in your Captain's office by 9PM this evening, a warrant will be issued for you arrest."

"This is outrageous," Whiting yelled as her husband was being patted down by an FBI agent.

"I couldn't agree more," Rand told her. "I wanted you taken into custody earlier but Deeks is far too nice a guy. He arranged the arrest for tonight "

"It's my goddamn wedding anniversary, how is that being too nice?"

"He insisted we do this when you child wasn't home," Rand said. "That's being a good man."

"He murdered a cop, Francis Boyle. His own partner. He murdered him in cold blood."

"I have sworn statements from Detective Deeks, Tiffany Williams, the manager of the Sleepytime Motel and a woman named Deandra Smith who was waiting for a client that night about what happened to retired Detective Boyle. Mr. Boyle beat Miss Williams, an underage prostitute at the time of the beating. The motel manager called Detective Deeks, a then narcotics cop who he was familiar with, for help. Detective Deeks got Miss Williams from the motel and in doing that, earned the ire of Francis Boyle."

"This is bullshit. Deeks murdered him."

"Boyle pulled his weapon, he and Deeks struggle for it and when Boyle fired, he wound up shooting himself and not Deeks."

"Bullshit."

"Besides having the motel manager's statement, Miss Smith confirmed Detective Deeks's version of the story. She had Mr. Boyle as a client once. His alcoholism left him with some performance issues and he took those issues out on her. Miss Smith heard everything."

"Why didn't any of them come forward?"

"With the status of your Internal Affairs Department, I wouldn't report a lost paperclip to your division." Rand said as her fellow FBI Agents walked Douglas Whiting to a Taurus. "9PM, Mrs. Whiting."

"Detective."

"Not for long."

As the FBI cleared her lawn, Whiting noticed Deeks, Kensi, Matt, the Admiral and Bates watching. She flipped Deeks the bird.

"I believe Detective Whiting thinks I'm number one," Matt said.

"Everything you need to know about this case, including Boyle, is in that file sir," Deeks said to Bates.

"Always wondered if you really did kill him, kid," Bates said. "If Internal Affairs did their jobs, he might still be alive."

"I've obtained a justified shooting ruling for Detective Deeks as part of his cooperation in this matter from both the DA's Office and the department," Chegwidden told Bates. "I like doing a little pro-bono work for a fellow lawyer from time to time."

"I won't forget what you did Deeks, to Boyle or for me," Bates was obviously torn. "Are you still secure in your liaison position?"

"Not going anywhere," Deeks told his boss.

"Except for a rehearsal dinner," Kensi said. "We're going to be late."

Bates looked at Deeks. "When you get back from your honeymoon, you and I are going to have a long talk about what you do and don't tell me going forward. Go to your dinner, marry this woman who is so marrying beneath her station with you and enjoy your honeymoon." There was no malice in Bates's tone. Just amazement with what went on.

"We're not going to be late. Can't do the rehearsal dinner without the bride, groom and the minister," Matt said, straightening his tie.

"God help you all," Bates said shaking his head. "Best wishes and a happy life Agent Blye. Make this guy be the man you deserve."

"He is, sir. He is," Kensi said with a smile.

"AJ, we should do dinner," Bates called as he walked to his car.

"I'm in town all month. I'll give you a call," Chegwidden said, waving. "I'm going to fail as Hetty's plus one for this event and the wedding this weekend if I don't get you three to the dinner on time."

As Bates drove away, Deeks said, "Let's do this." He was ready to start his life with LAPD further and further in his rearview mirror and he couldn't be happier.

-30-

* * *

 **Annoying author's notes** : Thank you all for reading! Your feedback, notes and messages were a joy to read. Looking forward to season nine. I'm still Team Bates so I needed to exonerate him at the end. Here's hoping the show does the same.

Thanks again,  
Tess  
August 27, 2017.


End file.
